Annals of the Transvaal Museum 
261 
but to put it outside on a stick. This had its disadvantages, as the foster 
parents continually led it away and we frequently had some difficulty in 
tracing it, as my brother was shut up inside the tent and I had to stand 
some way off so as not to scare the old birds ; but we always succeeded 
in finding it by watching the movements of the foster parents or listening 
for its chirping. The young Wren Warbler was not so tame and as soon 
as we put it on a stick it would fly away and eventually we lost sight of 
it ; even while this young bird was some distance from the tent, its parents 
seldom troubled to feed it, preferring to satisfy the incessant demands of 
their fosterling. After the second set of half-dozen plates had been used 
in photographing the parasite as it was being fed by the Wren Warblers, 
a photograph was taken of the nest, the bird being put into the nest but 
refusing to stay there and being then “ snapped ” as it was half-way out. 
In putting the bird into the nest, I found that there was still an addled egg 
of the Wren Warblers in it, which I had previously overlooked. An 
incident which occurred on Wednesday evening while my brother was fixing 
up the camera inside the tent is worth recording. The parent Wren 
Warblers were much concerned and fussed about amongst the weeds a few 
yards off, and while I was watching them I noticed a finch settle on a tree 
some thirty yards away, which looked like an adult Kendall’s Seedeater, 
though I could not make sure on account of the failing light ; while I was 
watching it and telling my brother that I thought one of the parents of 
the young Seedeater was watching us, the Wren Warblers also caught 
sight of it, and instantly flew at it with every evidence of rage, driving it 
away and following it for fully a hundred yards. This occurrence is not, 
as some might suppose, evidence that the parent was there to feed the 
young one, since it has been noted that Cuckoos and Honeyguides sometimes 
visit their offspring ; but they appear to be prompted to do so more out 
of curiosity than an affection for, or intention of feeding, their young. 
I may here mention that the adult Black-chested Wren Warblers are 
indistinguishable in colour, and young ones which I have seen in Pretoria 
have a very distinct band across the chest, even when the tail is 
as yet only half-grown, but the band is not as broad as that of the adults 
nor so clearly defined. I note this because some specimens we have from 
Damaraland, taken in October, appear to be quite adult and yet have only 
a row of contiguous spots across the chest. 
My brother once expressed an opinion that Quelea sanguinirostris 
lathami was also possibly parasitic ; * and I may state that I was also of 
that opinion, though doubtful in the absence of definite proof. My reason 
for thinking so was that at Potchefstroom, where this bird was very common, 
a most assiduous search and inquiry failed to throw any light upon its 
breeding habits. Some time later, however, Mr. F. 0. Noome informed 
me that he had seen thousands of old nests in the northern Transvaal, 
and there was a clutch of eggs in the Transvaal Museum Collection, 
presented by Mr. R. Duncan, which had been laid by the birds in captivity 
and indisputably belonged to this bird. In the Union Agricultural Journal 
for April, 1911, I was careful therefore to state that nothing definite was 
* Cf. Journ. S'. A. Orn, Un., Vol, V, p. 23, 
