Whydah-Birds. 401 



tailed visitor. It was less amusing that they drove the poor bird from the neighbourhood, 

 beyond the reach of recapture, and probably some cat breakfasted on his valuable body before 

 dawn of the following day. For food and treatment see the two preceding pages. 



PIN-TAILED WHYDAH-BIRD {Vidua pHncipalis), Africa. (Illustrated.) 

 Vidua principalis (Russ), Emberiza piincipalis, Fringilla principalis, Emlieriza serena, Vidua minor, Fringilla serena. 

 Vidua eryihrothync ha. English dealers' name — Pin-tailed Whydah-bird. German name — "Dominikaner Widafink." 

 Frencli name — "Veuve Dominicaine." 



When in full plumage the Pin-tailed Whydah-bird is one of the most elegant inhabitants 

 of our aviaries. He is a trifle smaller than the Paradise Whydah, and his plumage is less 

 sombre, the black head, back, and wings being relieved by a coral-red beak, white breast, 

 and a white mark on the wings. The two central jet-black tail-feathers grow to a length of 

 eight or ten inches, but are quite narrow. In his movements and in the carriage of his tail the 

 Pin-tailed Whydah-bird is quite as graceful as the Paradise Whydah, and it is difficult to say which 

 of the two species is the most beautiful. The Pin-tail is a good deal more lively and excitable 

 than his imperturbable cousin, the Paradise Whydah, and some individuals prove combative in 

 the aviary ; it is therefore as well to be a little careful at first. The change of colour in the 

 male takes place in the same way as with the other Whydah-birds. Towards midsummer the 

 bird's black and white garb assumes more intense tints, without the feathers falling out, and 

 the long tail grows rapidly. About midwinter an actual change of feathers, a regular moult, 

 occurs, and the loss of the tail-feathers is generally the first sign of the approaching change. 

 The new feathers are of very modest brown and black colour, the same as those which distin- 

 guish the female all the year round. 



It is asserted that the Pin-tailed Whydah-bird has bred in captivity, but I doubt whether 

 complete success has been achieved, and it will certainly remain difficult to breed and rear 

 this Finch. To begin with, it is not easy to obtain females, many of the supposed females 

 being young males. Many writers suppose the Pin-tailed Whydah-birds with four long tail- 

 feathers to be a variety of the ordinary Pin-tail with two feathers. I believe that I can assert 

 that this divergence is due only to the age of the birds, for I have a splendid four-feathered 

 Pin-tail before me as I write who had only two long tail-feathers last year and the year 

 before. For food and treatment see pages 399 and 400. 



LONG-TAILED WEAVER-BIRD (Chera progne). South Africa. 



Vidua caffra (Russ), Fringilla caffra, Chera caffra, Loxia caffra, Emberiza longicauda. Vidua fhcenicopiera. English dealers' 



name — Long-tailed Whydah-bird. German name — " Hahnschweifwittwe." French name — " Veuve a Epaulettes." 



This is the most rare and most beautiful of the Whydah-birds, and certainly the one 

 which has given rise to more disputes between dealers and their customers than any other 

 variety. Somehow the bird seems never to arrive in such plumage that his identity can be 

 determined with certainty. In undress the Long-tailed Weaver or Whydah bird resembles so 

 closely some of the larger kinds of Weaver-birds that it is easy to mistake the one for the 

 other. And I suspect, furthermore, that this, the king of the Whydah-birds, comes into full 

 colour only after the third year, if not later. Many purchasers may have actually possessed 

 young Long-tailed Weaver-birds, and disappointed that the birds did not come into colour 

 in due course, they probably ceased to care for them, or let them fly, whilst other purchasers 

 may have acquired hen-birds, which are exactly like males out of colour. 



The Long-tailed Weaver-bird is of nearly the size of a Starling, and quite black, with the 

 61 



