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Mr. Sidney Williams.



The extinction of such a fine species is a real calamity and

one that will be realised by the next generation much more than

by this one. Our Sand Hill Crane is getting scarce, and I am

very much afraid he is a doomed bird unless special legislation

and large tracts of land are set aside for its benefit.



WEAVER BIRDS.


By Sidney Williams, F.Z.S.


Having been asked to write a few notes for our Magazine,

I have chosen the Weavers—which are great favourites of mine

—as my subject. At present I have kept the following species :

Red-billed ( Quelea quelea ), Orange Bishop (. Pyromelanafranciscana),

Napoleon Weaver (P. afra), Crimson Crowned (P. flammiceps).

Grenadier (P. orix), Madagascar ( Foudia via dag a sea rien s is ),

Yellowish Weaver ( Sitagra luteola) Rufous-necked ( Hyphantornis

cucullatus ), called sometimes by the dealers the Atlas Weaver,

Black-headed (//. vielanocephahis) and Baya Weaver ( Ploceus haya).

I have also two birds which have not come into colour and cannot

at present identify them. One, I think, is a Comoro Weaver

(Foudia eminentissima ), and the other is about the size of the

Rufous-neck, only black eyes instead of red. Body colour pale

greenish buff, showing small patches of brilliant yellow on breast

and throat. This bird I picked np for a shilling in a dealer’s

shop in East London a few weeks back. Whenever I am down

that part, and it is usually once a week, I am always on the look

out for anything new in Weavers, and have more than once

picked up a bargain. It was during one of these visits that I

saw and bought the Black Bishop’s Weaver, which I exhibited

at the Horticultural Hall in 1910. At the time I thought I had

discovered a new variety, but after discussing the bird with some

of our members who were present, we came to the conclusion

that it was only a melanistic form of P. francescana. After the

moult it could scarcely be told from the other Orange Bishop

which shared its cage ; and to my surprise, when it came into

colour last year, it assumed the normal orange and black colour,

thereby proving its identity. Why having once been abnormal

in colouring it reverted to the normal I cannot say, but I am told



