The Med-faced Wea/ver-hird. 143 



stowed upon them by that distinguished naturalist, in conse- 

 quence of their sombre appearance; for they are really not at 

 aU widow-like, but, on the contrary, rather gay, and, if not 

 exactly vivacious in manner, yet not quite as quiet and sub- 

 dued as a mourning widow is popularly supposed to be. 



CHAPTER XLIII. 



THE EEn-PACED WEATEK-BHtB. 



I ONCE, and once only, possessed two of these birds, which 

 had been sold to me for a pair, but turned out to be two 

 males, and I found them the most indefatigable constructors 

 of neat toy nests I ever saw. 



They were small birds, about the size of the Greater Eed- 

 poU, or Siskin, and when out of colour bore a great resem- 

 blance to a hen House Sparrow : but when they assumed their 

 summer dress, the ordinary brown and black of their feathers 

 became intensified, and a ring of deep red made its appearance 

 round their beaks. 



I am not quite certain of their identity, but imagine them 

 to have been a variety of the Eed-headed "Weaver, PlooeuB 

 erythrops, der rothhopfige Wehervogel of the Germans, and la 

 Dioche d UU rouge of the French. Unfortunately they did 

 not remain very long in my possession, for, having sent them 

 to one of the bird shows at the Crystal Palace, someone took 

 a fancy to them, and, in spite of the supposed prohibitive 

 price I had placed upon them, became their purchaser. 



While they were with me I fed them on canary and millet, 

 with a few mealworms now and then, and they seemed in 

 capital health and spirits. 



All the Weavers are natives of Southern Africa, except one 

 species found in Madagascar, Floceus Madagasemriensis, which 



