VIDUA AXILLARIS. 
DIMENSIONS. 
Inches. Lines. 
Inches 
Lines. 
Length from the tip of the hill to the 
Length of the tail 
2 
6 
end of the tail* 
6 0 
of the tarsus 
I 
0 
of the bill from the angle of the 
of the hinder toe 
0 
5 
mouth 
0 7 
of the middle toe 
0 
9 
of the wings when folded 
3 01 
of the outer toe 
0 
6 
Nothing is known of the 
female, 
— the probabilities are. 
she is 
of a 
brownish colour, and without the gay coloured epaulets so conspicuous in the 
male. 
There is reason to believe this species of widow bird occurs but rarely in South Africa. The 
individual which our figure represents, was obtained upon the south-east coast, between seven 
and eight hundred miles to the eastward of Cape Town, and at the time it was shot, it was 
perched upon rushes growing out of some marshy ground in Caffreland. 
South Africa furnishes us with a number of birds yet referred to this Genus, but it appears to 
me very doubtful if all of them will continue to be classed together. Those of the Cape admit 
readily of being divided into two Sections, — indicated by the character of the plumage and habits 
of the species. The species of the first section have the summer feathers, in the males, soft and 
velvety, which is not the case in those of the other section ; the former resort to marshy grounds, 
and feed and build their nests among reeds, or long rushes, — the latter principally frequent the 
vicinity of human dwellings, or occur in dry localities, thinly covered with wood, and when driven 
from grounds upon which they may be feeding, generally perch upon trees, or brushwood. 
The species of the first section, besides, have the bill stronger in proportion, and more elongated, 
than the species of the second. 
1st Section, 
Vidua longicauda, Cuv. 
Vidua lenocinia, Lesson. 
Vidua axillaris, Smith. 
2nd Section. 
Vidua regia, Cuv. 
Vidua serena, Cuv. 
Vidua superciliosa, Cuv. 
* The tail in the state in which it existed in the specimen figured. 
