7 
The Habitats I take from the liritisli Museum Catalogue or from Shelley's Birds 
of Africa. 
References to the work are marked by the contractions (B. M. Cat.); (Shelley) or 
(Sh.) 
PLOCEID^. 
Hypochcera cenea. THK COMBASSOU. 
Range. Seuegatiibia. (B.M. Cat.) 
Coiiinion in Gambia; an iuliabitaiit of the native villages, one cock 
u.sually to about ten hens, or at any rate iiiicoloured l)irds, generally 
associating with the little flocks of Firefinches. 
Nest, an untidy mass of grass, etc. stufi^ed into holes in the thatch or 
in the nmd walls of the hnts. Kggs white. Breeding season, abont July to 
October, occasionally extended to December. Cock appears to take very 
little share in the business of nesting and feeding the young. 
Cocks in colonr Jnh' to December, bnt I liave occasionally seen a full 
coloured cock during the other half of the year. 
Native names for the cock when in colour. Mandigo, S.ANNAFIN- 
TONG or NYANNA-FINTONG (literally = Black Sam). 
Joloff: KUMBASOOBAN. Evidently the origin of Viellot's name le 
Conibason. 
Vidua principalis. PINTAILED WHYDAH. 
Range. Nearly the whole of Africa. {B.M. Cat.) 
Common in the Gambia, but not so frequently seen as the next species. 
Generally met with in the clearings round the villages. Cocks in colour, like 
the other Whydahs, from July to October. I have never found a nest, but 
this is described in Stark and Sclater's Birds of vSoutli Africa as being 
woven of fine grasses and suspended in a grass-tuft a few inches from the 
ground. 
Vidua paradisea. PARADISE WHYDAH. 
Range. Nearly the whole of Africa. {B.M. Cat.) 
Common in Gambia. Geneially in parties of one cock to six hens. 
Nesting season July to November. Nest, large domed flat-bottomed struc- 
ture of grass suspended between two or three reeds by long grass stalks in 
the swamps, and generally built in groups. 
Deserted nests found in swamp, McCarthy Island, November, and 
again at Lamin Koto, December 23, 1905. 
Cocks in colour, July to October. 
Eggs grey, very closely spotted with black. Joloff name, Laro-Laro. 
{Sh. B. of Afnca). 
Cohopasser ardens. RED-THROATED WHYDAH. 
Range. South and East Africa, recurring in Senegambia. {B.M. 
Cat.) 
I have never met with this bird in Gambia, though it must occur here 
as we are geographically but a narrow strip of Senegambia. 
A wholly black variety with no red-throat is also known. 
