THK SPOTTED-BACKED WEAVER BIRD. 201 



danger. As soon as the bird perceives, or fancies that it perceives, 

 anything that is suspicious, it ceases from feeding, and looks 

 anxiously about. Should its suspicions prove correct, the bird 

 flies in the air with the peculiar whirring sound that is indicative 

 of danger, and which is known to the buffalo as well as to itself. 

 As soon as the signal of danger is thus given, the buffalo dashes 

 away into the thickest underwood, accompanied by its faithful 

 friends. The reader must not suppose that every buffalo has its 

 bird, or that even a herd of buffaloes must necessarily be accom- 

 panied by the Weavers. Sometimes a large party of buffaloes 

 may be without a single bird ; only where buffaloes do not exist, 

 these Weavers are not to be found. 



There are several other birds which are in the habit of attach- 

 ing themselves to animals, such as the well-known zic-zac, which 

 befriends the crocodile'; the beef-eater, which perches upon the 

 rhinoceros ; and a congener, which is found upon the buffalo. 

 This last bird, however, pays more attention to the " wurbles," 

 or larvse of the hot flies, which burrow into the skin, and make 

 such ugly holes in the hide. All these birds feed upon the 

 parasites and other creatures that are found upon the animal 

 which they affect; and in every case they become watchful 

 guardians, their own alarm being communicated to the larger 

 animal. 



Towards the upper part of the illustration may be seen a 

 number of roundish nests, hung on branches in several rows. 

 These are built by the Spotted-backed Weaver Bird, and are 

 slightly variable in the method of their construction, some having 

 the entrance nearly at the bottom, and others more towards the 

 sides. They are all, however, constructed of similar materials, 

 and the different position of the mouth is evidently intended 

 merely as an accommodation to circumstances. Their eggs are 

 not numerous, seldom exceeding four, and their colour is delicate 

 green, something like those of our common starling. The bird 

 is not very plentiful, and seems to be rather limited in its range, 

 not appearing westward of the district called Kaffir-land. Its 

 scientific name is Ploceus spilonotus, and it is sometimes called 

 the Yellow-crowned Weaver Bird. 



