Bee Na | Ee NG: 
wings, and tail, black: neck behind pale orange: breaft, and 
upper part of the belly, a full orange: lower belly, and thighs, 
white: vent black: the two middle tail feathers are four inches 
in length, very broad, and ending in along thread; the two next 
are thirteen, or more, inches in length, very broad in the middle, 
narrower at the end, and rather pointed; from the middle of the 
fhaft of this laft arifes another long thread; the reft of the tail 
feathers are only two inches and a quarter long; the two middle 
long ones are placed fomewhat vertically, and appear undulated 
acrofs, and are more glofly than the others: the legs flefh- 
colour. 
The female is wholly of a deep brown, almoft black ; but does 
not gain the full plumage under three years. 
This fpecies moults twice in a year. ‘The male wants the long 
tail feathers fix months out of twelve: it moults in November, 
when it firft lofes them, and the plumage is of a mixed black and 
reddith colour, and the head ftreaked black and white: it moults 
again late in fpring, when it gets the fummer plumage; but the 
tail feathers are fcarce complete till Zune, and fall again in No- 
vember, as before mentioned. 
The. females, when young, are nearly like the males in their 
winter drefs. 
This is pretty common at Angola, and other parts of Africa; 
and is called Ja Veuve, or Widow Bird, from the colour *. They 
are often brought into Europe, where they frequently live many 
years, and are in general lively aétive birds. 
* Willughby :—But Edwards gives another reafon for the name—being a cor- 
ruption of Whidab, a fort in Africa, in the neighbourhood of which they are com- 
mon. Whidah Bird, and Widow Bird, are founds very fimilar. 
Aa 2 Emberiza 
179 
Bemacg. 
Pracs. 
