their feathers in a disconsolate way : the young doubtless had

been drowned. After waiting a few hours, and finding that the

parents shewed no inclination to return to their nest, I resolved

to inspect it. Quietly and cautiously I approached, so as not to

disturb other birds nesting around, and at last reached the spot,

the nest being on a level with my face. Carefully I pushed

aside the luxuriant creeper, and found—well, not exactly what I

had expected to find. Instead of a nice little tight little nest

with a concave receptacle for eggs and } r oung, I found an oblong

convex lump of fine grass, surrounded by a lot of straw, but

with a substantial back, which served presumably as a screen

from the wind. I turned to the old nest in the lime tree ; it was-

of a precisely similar character. Then the horrible truth flashed

upon me : they were Squatting Places for the old birds, not

nests at all.


The birds have since gone back to their squatting place

in the Virginia Creeper, and are still squatting awa}*- as happy

as squatters.


I cannot understand why the members are so anxious to

get hold of that gold medal ! I know, if it were offered to me, I

just wouldn’t take it.



THE HALF-MASKED WEAVER.


Hyph a n torn is vitellinus, Ificht.


By A. G. Butler, Ph.D.


This beautiful Weaver-bird inhabits N.-Eastern to N.-

Western Africa almost to the equator, and is allied to the better

known Abyssinian Weaver, from which, however, it can at once

be distinguished by the colouring of the head ; the black mask

being confined to the front and sides of the face and bordered at

the back by a diffused edging of chestnut, which covers the

front of the crown. The prevailing colour of the bird is bright

golden yellow, the feathers of the wings and tail being black

with yellow edges.


According to Von Heuglin it appears in flocks in the

neighbourhood of the White and the Blue Niles towards the end

of May or in June, being still in winter plumage, and separates

into small companies. Soon after its arrival the change into

summer plumage commences, and then it begins its courtship

among the acacias and thorn-trees growing in damp places near

the banks of a stream, by the rain-water pools, upon islands and



