PLOCEINiE. 
first quill very short, the second equalling the eighth, the third longer than the seventh, and the fourth 
and fifth of equal length. Tail moderate, and even or slightly rounded. Tarsi robust and strongly 
scaled. Toes moderate, with the inner toe shorter than the outer, and the claws strong and curved, 
especially that of the hind toe. 
The birds of this division are peculiar to the western and southern portions of Africa. 
1. S. cristafus Vieill. Ois. Chant, pi. 42. — Tanagra malembica 
Daud., Ann. du Mus. i. p. 148. t. x. ; Ploceus cristatus Vieill. 
2. S. rubricoUis (Swains.). — Malimbus cristatus 5 Vieill. Ois. 
Chant, pi. 43. 
3. S. nigerrimus (Vieill.) Ency. Meth. 700. — Ploceus niger 
Swains. ? 
4. S. nigricollis (Vieill.). — Malimbus nigricoUis Vieill. Ois. 
Chant pL 45. 
5. S. collaris (Gray), Zool. Misc. 1. p, 6. 
6. S. nitens (Gray), Zool. Misc. 1. p. 7. 
7. S. hicolor (Vieill.) Ency. Meth. 69?- — Symplectes chrysomus 
Swains. B. of ^V^. Afr. 1. 170. ; Eupodes xanthosomiis Jard. 
Selby, 111. Orn. n. s. pi. 10. 
8. S. gregalis (Licht.) Cat. Dupl. Berl. Mus. No. 234. 
9. S. St. ThomcB Hartl. Rev. Zool. 1848. p. IO9. 
Ploceus Cuv.* 
Bill short, thick at the base, pointed at the tip, laterally compressed ; with the culmen smooth, rounded, 
and advancing on the forehead in a point : the lateral margins slightly sinuated and angulated at the 
base, and the gonys lengthened and ascending upwards ; the nostrils basal, rounded, and partly hidden 
by the frontal plumes. Wings moderate, with the first quill very short, the second shorter than the 
third, the third to the fifth longest, and the tertials nearly the length of the quills. Tail moderate, Avith 
the end even or slightly rounded. Tarsi as long as, or longer than, the middle toe. Toes moderate, 
the inner toe shorter than the outer ; and the claws long, slender, slightly curved, and compressed. 
India and Africa are the countries of these birds, where they are generally found among the trees near the banks of 
rivers. During the summer they are very destructive to gardens, feeding on seeds, rice, and small fruits. The sexes 
differ much in colour, the males during the breeding season becoming of rich and bright plumage. Some seek the reeds 
which margin the streams, and other trees that overhang rivers or wells (in India), in order to suspend their curiously 
woven nests. 
1. P. philippinus (Linn.) Cuv. PI. enl. 135. f. 2. — Euplectes 
philippensis Swains. 
2. P. Baglefecht (Vieill.) Ency. Meth. 698. — Loxia philippina 
var. Lath. 
3. P. bengalensis (Linn.) PI. enl. 293. f. 2. — Loxia regina 
Bodd. ; Euplectes albirostris Su-ains. 
4. P. manyar (Horsf.) Linn. Trans, xiii. I60. — Euplectes 
flaviceps Swains. ; E. striatus Blyth. 
5. P. nelicourvi (Scop.) Sonn. Voy, Ind. t. 22. — Loxia pensihs 
Gmel. 
6. P. luteolus (Licht.) Cat. Dupl. Berl. Mus. p. 23. 
7. P. jonquillaceus Vieill. Ency. Meth. 700. ; Gue'r. Iconogr. 
Regn. An. t. 187- f. 8. 
8. P. capensis (Linn.) PI. enl. 101. 659. f. 1. — Icterus flaves- 
cens Daud. ; Fringilla phalerata III. Licht. 
9. P. xanthomelas (Riipp.) Riipp. Faun. Abyss, p. 94. ; Syst. 
Uebers. Vog. Nord-Ost Afr. t. 28. 
10. P. ahyssinicus (Gmel.) Cuv., Vieill. Ois. Chant, t. 28 
Fringilla ranunculacea Licht. 
11. P. fl/er (Gmel.) Brown's 111. t. 24. f. . — Loxia mela- 
nogastra Lath. 
12. P. taha A. Smith, III. S. Afr. Zool. pi. ?• — Ploceus melano- 
cephalus ? Vieill. ; PI. dubius A. Smith. 
13. P. textriz (Gmel.) Licht. Cat. Dupl. Berl. Mus. p. 24. — 
Textor malimbus Temm. ; Ploceus fasciatus Steph. 
14. P. oryx (Linn.) PI. enl. 6. f. 2. 309- f. 2., Vieill. Ois. 
Chant, t. 66. 
15. P. franciscanus (Isert), Planches enluminees, 134. f. ]. 
— Fringilla ignicolor Vieill. Ois. Chant, t. 59-, Ehrenb. Symb. 
Phys. t. 2. 
* Proposed by Cuvier (Rcgne Animal, 1st edit. p. 406.) in I8I7. In 1831 M. Lesson gave the division the name of Oryx, while in 
1832 two other names were established, viz. Pyromelana of the Prince of Canino and Euplectes of Mr. Swainson. 
