14G 
71/// Wrm''nrs and Whi/dahs. 
Our Editor has asked me to write an article giving my 
experience with these birds and I have much pleasure in com- 
plying, and venture to hope it may interest many of my 
readers. 
As most foreign bii'd keepers know, the genei-al idea 
is, that the Weaver family are not safe to keep with other 
birds. They are credited with every vice which is known in 
the bird-world. Evidently those who started this lumour, must 
either have had very little experience or the bad luck to come 
across a few feathered hooligans. Because you come across 
a bully in a school, you would not dream of dubbing every 
school-boy a bully; no, certainly not! Wei! Ilieii, wliy give 
every Weaver a bad cliaracter ? 
At the present time my collection is as follows : — 
1 pair Rufous -necked Weavers (Hyphantornis ciicullata). 
1 cf Eufous-necked Weaver (Hyphantornis cucnllata). 
1 Black -headed A\'eaver (//. inrlanoccphala ) . 
2 cf and 1 Q Baya Weavers {Ploccus haya). 
1 9 Yellow Weaver (Sp. iineert.). 
*5 cf Short-winged Weavers (Hyphantorn'fi hrnchypfrra^. 
5 Jinfl 1 9 Crimson -crowned Weaver {Fyromelnna flam- 
miceps). ' 
1 cf Mahali Weaver {PJocrpasfscr vmhali). rare. 
2 cf Prince's Island Weavers (not certain as to idcntlHiation — 
not yet full colour). 
1 cf Taha Weaver {Fyromduna tahn). 
2 (f Napoleon Weavers (P. afra). 
1 pair Small Masked Weavers (Silar/rn moixirJ.a i. 
1 pair Red -billed Weavers (Queica quelea). 
2 cf Rod-headed Weavers {Q. eryfhrops) uncommon. 
1 cT Grenadier Weaver (Pyromelann oryx).. 
1 cf Bronze Abyssinian Weaver (Ciniirnnoplrryx niblginosit). 
rare. 
4 Weavers which have yet to be identified . 
1 pair Paradise Whydahs (Sfrganvra paradisra). 
3 cf Pintail Whydahs {Vidua principalis). 
2 o' Red -shouldered Whydahs {Coliopasser nxilhiris ) . 
1 cf Golden-backed Whydah (Pcnthrtriopsis macriira). 
*Two bred last year in my aviary. 
A big Half-masked Weaver died in a fit early last year, 
and I have also lost since: 2 cf Orange Bishops, 1 cf Russ' 
Weaver, and a Comoro and Madagascar Weaver died soon after 
arrival, so I have a few vacancies to fill up. 
This makes about twenty different species of Weavers 
