KUNUL. SV. VET. AKADEMIENS HANDLINGAR. BAND 47. NIO 5. 101 



Ploceus reichenowi (Fschr.). 



Kciiw. III. ]». 38. 



Common among bushes in the neighbourhood of Nairobi; as a rule it occurred singlc 

 or in pairs, and I did not ever observe a flock or swarm of this species. 



A young male, very similar to a female but with the feathers of the upper part a 

 edged with dull yellow or olive yellow, was shot in shambas a little south of Meru borna 

 *7i 1911. 



This species was also observed at Punda Melia and some other places as a rule among 

 bushes or in thickets of tall herbs. 



Ploceus ocularius suahelicus Neum. 



Neum., Journ. f. Omith. 1905, p. 339. 



A single female specimen with swelled ovary was shot in a thick but not very dark 

 forest about two hours north of Meru borna V2 1911. 



Ploceus nigriceps (Lay.). 



Rchw. III, p. fi2. 



Not many hours south of Meru borna in an otherwise treeless and partly cultivated 

 tract of land I saw £9 /i 1911, at the roadside a very high and perfectly dry tree in the top 

 of which a swarm of weaverbirds were just building their nests. I shot one of them, and 

 found it to be a male of the above species with swelled testidés. 



This locality is probably near its northern boundary line. 



It was also rather common at Nairobi. A male specimen shot outside this town 

 9 i had swelled testidés, thus two months låter than those south of Meru borna. A fe- 

 male was obtained at Ju ja farm 2 7i. 



Ploceus spekei (Heugl.). 



Rchw. III, p. 65. 



This bird occurred in great swarms 011 cultivated fields at Nairobi. I saw for instance 

 a great number plundering a wheat field on the government farm, where several were 

 killed in one shot. It was also common in other places as for instance at Punda Melia, 

 Fort Hall etc. 



Length of the wing 78 — 82 mm. Iris yellow. 



The 6 th of January some males were in full plumage but some others, although 

 possibly adult birds had the same colouration as the females: olive grey above with dark 

 centres and f aint olive green edges to the feathers of the back, wing coverts and second- 

 aries rather broadly edged with whitish, primaries more narrowly with yellow, throat, 

 foreneck, and breast påle yellow, middle of the belly isabelline white, flanks grey with a 

 yellow wash. Both females and males have yellow iris, bill horn brown, the lower jaw 

 much paler than the upper. 



