674 D. Beth-Smith: 



Two of the most commonly imported African Weavers, 

 the so-called red-billed Weaver (Quelea quelea), and Buss's 

 Weaver, have always been considered perfectly distinct 

 species. Dr. Butler obtained two pairs of the former and a 

 male of the latter species in 1888. All of these birds regularly 

 came into colour each year in the normal fashion until the 

 year 1896, when one of the males of Q. quelea appeared in 

 the breeding-plumage of Q. russi, which seems to prove that 

 the latter is simply another phase of the former. 



In the " Proceedings " of the Zoological Society for 1891 (p. 

 130, pi. XII.), Count Salvadori described and figured a Parra- 

 keet, which he named Platycercus erythropeplus. It was inter- 

 mediate between the two commonest species, P. elegans and 

 P. eximius, and its habitat was unknown, though it was 

 presumed to be Australian. By pairing together the two 

 species I have just mentioned aviculturists have produced 

 Salvadori's P. erythro]) eplus, showing it to be merely a 

 hybrid. 



In October, 1897, a specimen of Ramsay's Platycercus master- 

 sianus was received at the London Zoological Gardens, and 

 formed the subject of a coloured plate in the "Proceedings " 

 of the Zoological Society for 1902. This specimen, however, 

 has gradually changed into a typical example of Pennant's 

 Parrakeet, P. elegans, showing P. mastersianus to be only an 

 abnormal variety of P. elegans, the peculiar colouring 

 being probably due to a weak constitution. 



Then in the case of the two forms of the Gouldian Pinch, 

 Gould thought them to be distinct species, and named the 

 red-headed phase Poephila mirabilis, and the black-headed 

 form P. gouldiœ. 



Now by keeping several of these birds together, both black 

 and red-headed, we find that a black-headed female is just 

 as likely to take to a red-headed male as to one with a black 

 head ; or a female of the red-headed form is as likely to take 

 a black-headed as a red-headed husband. And the result of 

 such an union is, not a bird with a reddish or black and red 

 head, as should be the case if it were a hybrid, but either a 

 typical red-headed or a typical black-headed bird. 1 This 



1 Nevertheless, one occasionally finds old black-headed birds with a few red 

 feathers on the head. 



