OF 
PASHA TWELVE 
By Frank Finn, 
B.A., F.Z.S. 
TAILS. 
Photo by W. P. Dando. 
WHYDAH BIRD. 
ONE of the small species of birds exhibited in the fine Western Aviary at the 
London Zoological Gardens excites so much interest as the Long-Tailed Widow, 
or Whydah Bird (Chera procne), sometimes called the ‘“'Twelve-Tailed Whydah” by 
bird-dealers. This name, absurd as it sounds, is really rather descriptive, for whereas 
the other whydah-birds common in the bird trade have only a few feathers of - the 
tail elongated, in the long-tailed species all the twelve feathers of that appendage are 
of unusual length, sometimes as much as eighteen inches; and although they are 
not all equally long, each one would constitute a respectable tail by itself. The 
wearer of this fine appendage is a finch about the size of a skylark, and, as the 
picture shows, much resembles that bird when “out of colour.” ‘The plumage is of 
the same streaky brown as the lark’s, and the bird walks on the ground in the 
same manner, not hopping like most finches. The bill is, however, characteristically 
finch-like in form, and pale leaden-blue in colour. The hen of the species, which 1s 
not represented at the Gardens, always possesses the lark-like plumage and short tail, 
but her mate in the breeding-season doffs this sober garb for one of silky black, 
set off by rich orange-red epaulettes, and at the same time grows the wonderful tail 
of long, elegantly-crimped plumes shown in the other picture. Then- it is that he 
may be seen in all his glory; puffed out with pride, he erects his neck-feathers lke 
a ruff, and half -expands his wings to show thew glowing adornment. He is also 
constantly on the move, chasing other members of his species with a beautifully easy 
and buoyant flight, very different from the bustling or bouncing progress of the more 
vulgar finches. 
Now and then, in an access of vaingloriousness, he spreads out his tail vertically 
like a common cock’s and proceeds slowly through the air with stiff, heavy flaps, so 
that he reminds one of a gigantic Red Admiral butterfly with a bunch of black 
ribbons tied to it. It is a puzzle how he manages to keep the splendour of his 
train unimpaired when he drags it recklessly about over grass and gravel, for, unlike 
the more familiar Paradise Whydah (Vidua paradisea), he seems to be unable to raise 
it clear of the ground. The feathers of this wedding-garment are, however, of 
superfine quality and wear well, for they certainly are not easily draggled; if you 
watch the bird at his bath, you will see that his plumage throws water like a duck’s, 
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