142 Dr. E. Hopkinson—The fellow-backed Whydah


Dec. 1. Brown now appearing in the black, but tail still long.


Died sometime in 1912. Had “ fits ” at long intervals for

the last six years of his life.


No. 3. 1903


Jan. 4. Rather larger and greener about the breast than No. 2,

but has no yellow on shoulders.


Feb. 1. Primary coverts now black, but no yellow on shoulders or

other change of colour yet.


Feb. 7. Yellow appearing on shoulders. Still in cage.


April 20. Head beginning to get speckled with black and darker

on the crown.


April 23. Turned into aviary. Perfect condition except for slight

roughness on head.


May 13. No longer in aviary. Probably escaped as no body was

found. Only one of these Whydahs now left, No. 2.


No. 4 showed a little yellow on shoulders by the beginning

of 1903.


April 3. Noted as “ still in aviary, no change of colour


All these birds walk on the ground like other Whydahs, but

at times hop as well.


April 7. Died. “ Shoulders yellow, wings black, rest brown, even

mantle like rest of back.”


All the above birds and nearly all the others I have had turned

out to be males. In freedom, too, the females seem much more retiring

than the males, and less often seen than the males, even if every

allowance is made for the absence of colour.


Query, is there any simple reason which can account for so many

more males than females being caught ?


There is as yet no record of this bird having been bred in captivity.


In Butler’s Foreign Finches is a good coloured plate, at least of the

male, though that of the hen does not attract.


Other coloured figures are given by Russ ( Fremdlandischen Slubcn-

vogel, i, 218) and Reichenbach ( Singvogel , pi. 27).



