Nesting of Dwarf and Ahyssinian Weavers. ;')05 
Nesting of Dwarf and Abyssinian Weavers. 
By ■\Vm. Shore Baily. 
DwARL' Weaver (Sitagra liiteola). This species is a 
most attractive little bird, and about equals our English 
Siskin in size. 
Description. Male: General body colour chrome-yellow ; 
wings greenish -yellow; face, forehead, centre of crown, and 
upper throat deep black. 
Fdnmle: Dull greenish -yellow. 
Dr. Hopkinson, in " B.N." Vol. VIII, pages 39—40 
writes of this species as follows: 
" Smaller than the other Yellow Weavers ; the black of the 
" face in the adult cock only covers the front half of the crown, the 
"sides of the face and the upper throat. Bill rather more slender 
' thai-, that of Hyphantornis ." 
" I am almost sure that it is this species which breeds in such 
"numbers all up the banks of the river during the rains. The nests 
" arc made of coarse grass suspended in groups in the bushes (generally 
" thorns) over the water and only accessible by boat." 
" In shape they are like a stumpy retort with a woven perch 
" between the turned down entrance and the egg-chambor ; the latter 
"is lined with a little fine grass and a few feathers. 
" The eggs are white, rather long, and oval in shape. 
" When building operations are in progress the banks of the 
" river are alive with these birds, all chattering at once, as they fly 
" in and out with grass stems, and vie with each other in the actual 
" work of weaving the nests . 
" They are in colour from July to December, a few showing 
" signs of colour till about February . When out of colour during 
" the dry season they go about in large flocks in the koos-fields, but 
'' I think a great many leave the country then, returning to the river 
"to breed at the proper season." 
I have two pairs of this charming and amiable species 
in one of my aviaries, and most interesting and attractive they 
are. When insect food is plentiful they subsist almost entirely 
on what they can catch, but when they are feeding young, 
mealworms are supplied. In the winter they have to live 
almost entirely upon the usual seed mi.xture. 
Towards the end of June I noticed one pair were con- 
structing a nest; this was suspended over the pond, and was 
woven from grass growing around the edges of the water- 
thus this species in my aviary acted exactly as Dr. Hopkinson 
tells us they do on the Gambian river banks. 
