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YELLOW-BODIED WEAVER. 
Symplectes chrysomus *, Swains. 
Above dark brown ; beneath bright yellow ; chin whitish ; 
bill and legs pale. 
There are certain characters in this Weaver, which 
separates it so much from any of its congeners, that 
we cannot, for the present, associate it with any of 
the genera contained in the circle. These characters, 
which we shall shortly state, certainly show a great 
departure, from those which belong more or less to 
the others ; yet as its whole appearance is that of a 
Ploceus, we place it as the aberrant type, believing 
that its natural station is between Ploceus and Es- 
trelda. 
In its whole appearance, as regards the size, 
colour, and the stoutness of the feet, the breadth and 
great curvature of the claws, and the shortness and 
evenness of the tail, — our bird shews an unquestion- 
able affinity to the large race of Weavers, forming 
the restricted genus Ploceus. This point being 
admitted, we get the double affinities of Ploceus; for 
that genus is so intimately connected with Euplectes , 
that every link in the chain of connexion is filled 
up, and more than one Ploceus evinces a tendency 
* A figure of this bird lias been engraved for the new series 
of “ Illustrations of Ornithology Elate X., under the title of 
Eupodes mnthosomus. We have received specimens from the 
Cape of Good Hope, and also from Sierra Leone, — W. J . 
