0 hscn\ilioiis on Sonic Hybrids of the I'loccidac 29 
ill eclipse. I'-arly in the spriiiu; these two l)e,L^an to show si.^ns 
of yellow on the back and shoiiklers, and in a week or two were 
in full colour in these parts. Stran.ne to say the rest of the 
body remained brown for the whole of the season, and even now 
no siiL^ns of black feathers are showin.i;-. It looks from this as 
if the yelow colour only develops in the second year, lca\ in^- the 
black to a])i)ear the third year; it also seems as if this yellow is 
permanent in the males, as mine have now been in my ])ossses- 
sion for over a year without losini^- it. I hope to verify this in the 
comin^Li' season. 
[The Duchess of Wellington has a Crimson-crowned 
Weaver (Pxrotnclana fianuniccps) in her aviary, which has been 
there for over three years, and in full colour the z^'liolc period. 
1 saw it on lanuary 6th, and it was as fine a specimen as 1 iiave 
ever seen, apparently in most robust healtli, and certainly not 
lacking" in vigour, as one would expect from such abnormality. — 
Ed.] 
<> 
Observations on Some Hybrids of the Ploceidae. 
By a. Diccoux. 
[Reprinted from L'OiscaK, (January 1920) translated by Major 
A. E. Swayne. R.A.F"., with our thanks to Editor and Author. — ■ 
Ed. " B.X."] 
Most of the hybrids hatched in my aviaries have been 
love-children, sprung" from some ciiance mating which I have 
done nothing to bring about. I am not very fond of hybrids, 
though I nnist admit that some of them are much finer birds 
than their parents. I remember particularly certain crosses 
of Blue-cap and Multi-colour born with one of our cleverest 
parrot-breeders, wdiose brilliant colour and elegant form 
delighted me when I saw them flitting about in their little cages 
near their parents. Perhaps many will find, too, that the subject 
represented in our coloured ])late [A beautiful hybrid colouring 
of both ijarents beautifully blended, but the Melba ImucIi is 
dominant. — Ed. " B.N. "J surpasses the beauty of the Hari- 
niarquct {Zoiwgastra mclha L.) and the Cordon Bleu (Estrilda 
phocnicotis. SWAlXS.j from which it sprang. But tlie ]iybrid.s 
