76 
PLOCEUS INTERSCAPULABIS 
364. — Rhopalocam'pta sejuncta , Mab. The coast district. Not 
uncommon. 
365. — Rho'palocam'pta chalybe, Westw. I took two specimens 
of this beautiful species in the forests of Taveta. 
PLOCEUS INTERSCAPULABIS 
Yellow-mantled Weaver Bird 
By Dr. V. G. L. van Someren 
The following notes on this somewhat uncommon ‘ weaver 
bird ’ may be of interest to those studying the birds of East 
Africa and Uganda. 
The principal object in writing these lines is to describe the 
female bird, which until recently was unknown. 
The birds are of medium size, as far as weavers go, being 
about six inches in length, somewhat heavily built, but capable 
of rapid flight and movement. 
Description of adult male and female : — 
General colour, black and chestnut, with a yellow band 
across the mantle. Head and neck, black ; wings, back, and tail, 
glossy black ; chest, abdomen, and vent, rich chestnut in newly 
moulted males, dull chestnut in old and worn birds ; undertai 
coverts, dull black. The breadth of the yellow band varies in 
different individuals, but may roughly be taken as half an inch 
in the centre, and tapering off to a point at its extremities — 
many feathers slightly tipped with black. Bill black, feet and 
legs dark fleshy brown, eyes brown. 
Almost uniform black, the abdomen dull black with a slight 
tinge of dark brown. 
The yellow band on the mantle is much narrower than in the 
male, and each feather is heavily tipped with black. 
In habits this bird resembles the typical forest weaver, 
frequenting the tall trees, and is seldom seen in the undergrowth. 
Male birds appear to be more numerous than females. 
When searching for insect food on the high trees, these birds 
adopt the woodpecker habit of ascending the trunk in an 
upright position and gradually working round it in spiral 
