Whydah-Like Weavers. 67 



streaking on the head is not so bold as in the female. The length 

 and whiter colouring of the eyebrow readily distinguish the hen 

 and cock in winter plumage from P. franciscana. 



Black-bellied Weaver {Pyromelana nigriventris). 



The male in breeding plumage has the " forehead, crown, back, 

 upper and under tail-coverts and sides of lower abdomen scarlet ; the 

 mantle slightly duller and more rufous ; wings and tail dark brown, 

 with narrow pale edges to the feathers ; under wing-coverts and 

 inner margins of the quills rufous-buff; chin, throat, chest, and 

 centre of abdomen jet black " (Shelley). The female above is a 

 good deal like that sex of P. franciscana, but is of a more ruddy 

 brown and much less heavily streaked with black, excepting on the 

 sides of the mantle ; the streaking on the crown is much more 

 slender ; the eyebrow similar, being only broad and well-defined 

 from the eye backwards ; the chin, throat, abdomen, and under tail- 

 coverts are pure white, not buftish ; the pale brown belt across 

 chest more buff in tint, much narrower, and only very slightly 

 streaked at the sides. The male in winter plumage is said to be 

 similar to the female, but I have never seen this phase either alive 

 or in skin ; when I do I shall expect to find some difference. The 

 same statement is made as to P. franciscana, but I do not admit its 

 correctness. 



All the females of these small Fire- Weavers are a good deal alike, 

 bearing a general resemblance to the European Sedge-Warbler in 

 pattern and colouring. In order to emphasise the difference between 

 the summer plumage of the cock and that of the hen, it has been 

 necessary to describe the latter more fully both in the Whydahs 

 and Weavers than in other groups. As regards the winter plumage 

 of the cocks, it is generally much like the ordinary dress of the 

 hens, but I believe that with authenticated specimens of both sexes 

 before one it is invariably possible to differentiate them. 

 Unfortunately, when the winter form of the male occurs in 

 collections it is rarely sexed, so that writers have generally been 

 contented to describe it as "similar to the female." 



Orange Weaver {Pyromelana franciscana). 



In summer plumage the male has the crown, lores, ear-coverts, 

 chest, and abdomen black ; the neck, back, scapulars, upper tail- 

 coverts, cheeks, chin, throat, under tail-coverts, and sides of abdomen 

 fieiy orange, deepening with age ; the wings and tail blackish, with 

 buffish or sandy-brown borders to the feathers ; the mantle and 

 centre of back washed with brownish, rather dulling the orange. 

 The female is pale brown above, with broad black centres to the 

 feathers; the eyebrow stripe is narrow in front of the e} r e (barely 

 visible in life), but very broad from above eye to back of ear-coverts ; 

 the latter pale brown, with indistinct dusky mottling ; chin and 

 throat and under tail-coverts buffish-white ; breast pale brown 

 (forming a broad belt), with dusky streaks indistinct in the middle ; 



