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Annals of the Transvaal Museum. 
known of its breeding habits, but that it was supposed to be parasitic ; 
this called for an interesting private letter (which was published in a later 
number of the same journal) from a gentleman residing at Halesowen in 
the Cape Province, in which he stated that this bird had once visited that 
district in great numbers and nested in hundreds in a plantation ; this 
was in April, and after the birds had reared their young they disappeared 
and did not return. 
In writing a paper on “ Egg-collecting in the Bushveld ” (loc. cit. p. 33), 
I mentioned the finding of a nest of Ploceus auricapillus ( = Hyphantornis 
tahatali A. Sm.), which had been deserted and which contained three 
uniform greenish-blue eggs, which I thought might possibly be those of 
Quelea. About the time when this paper was being published, however, 
that is, in August, 1913, while on a hunting trip with Mr. F. 0. Noome 
in the Matibi District of South-Eastern Rhodesia, we came across thousands 
of old nests that could hardly have been those of any species but the Ouelea, 
which was frequently there to be seen in scores — or even in hundreds — of 
thousands in single flocks. These nests were placed in tall thorn trees 
scattered about amongst the mopani trees over an area covering many miles 
in circumference ; the trees were so well protected by tangled thorns, that 
the local Tschangaans had gone to the trouble in many cases of chopping 
down the trees in order to get the young birds. On inquiring from the 
natives as to the species which had built the nests and the season when they 
were to be found breeding, Noome’s, and by this time my own, conclusion 
was confirmed, for they stated that the nests were built by the birds which 
were then to be found in huge flocks and that their breeding season was 
at the end of summer (about April) ; they also pointed to very distinct 
but disused tracks leading from tree to tree, which they said had been made 
by carnivorous animals, even lions, which were in the habit of patrolling 
the place when the birds were breeding, in order to pick up any young ones 
which might fall to the ground. The nests were rough, globular, woven 
structures with little, if any, lining. This repeated evidence of the real 
nesting habits of this bird leaves no doubt as to its not being normally a 
parasite, and the explanation of the birds not being found breeding at 
Potchefstroom seems to be that they repair to some wilder part of the 
country towards the end of the summer to breed. What species the eggs 
mentioned by my brother and me may be referred to, still puzzles me. 
Either the Ouelea may at times depart from its usual custom and make use 
of the nest of some other bird, or the eggs may have been those of some other 
parasite — possibly Anomalospiza imberbis. 
