593 
Birds of Southern Cameroon. 
the plumage of the upper surface of the head merely of a 
darker brown than that of the back, without any lustre. 
They have mouth-markings like those of Eslrilda (cf. text- 
fig. 17, B, C, p. 594). 
A female (No. 3827; oviduct enlarged) was brought to 
me with a nest. The bird had been struck with the head of 
a spear as it emerged from the nest, which was placed in the 
axil of a palm-frond, too high for the boy to reach it with 
his hand. The nest was composed of the fine fibres of dry 
plantain leaf-stalks, and, though much disarranged, seemed 
to have been shaped like those of Estrilda and of Nigrita 
brunnescens mentioned above. Thus the statement of 
natives, given in a note under this species (‘ Ibis/ l. c. 
supra), that the remarkable felt nests sometimes found, 
resembling those of the Penduline Tit, are nests of this 
species or N. brunnescens, is proved to be a mistake. 
The nest above described had contained three eggs, but 
two were broken ; the third, which is pure white and without 
gloss, measures 14*5 X 10*5 mm. 
Estrilda occidentalis. 
Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 343 ; Bates, Ibis, 1909, p. 52. 
A young bird of this species was noted with mouth- 
markings similar to those of the species of Estrilda (c/. 
text-fig. 17, p. 594). 
A sitting female (No. 3936) was caught in the nest, 
which was of the usual water-bottle shape characteristic of 
the small Spermestinse; the five eggs were also exactly like 
those of Estrilda atricapilla already described ( c Ibis,’ l. c. 
supra). These eggs> vary only from 13 to 13’5 mm. in 
length, and all are 10 mm. in width. 
Estrilda nonnula. (Text-fig. 17, B, p. 594.) 
Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 344. 
This is the commonest species of Estrilda at the Ja, but 
was not found at Efulen. 
Six nests with eggs or nestlings were brought to me: five 
in the month of September and one in November. All but 
one were accompanied by a sitting female bird, caught 
