591 
Mr. G. L. Bates on the 
in the nest; one nest was brought with a male bird with 
large breeding-organs, which had been imprisoned by the 
drawing tight of a noose put loosely over the neck of 
the nest while the bird was away. Along with one of 
the nests two hen birds were brought, said to have been 
caught together in the nest: one shewed the usual evidences 
of sitting, the other did not. These nests were like those 
of Estrilda atricapilla already described (‘ Ibis/ 1909, p. 52). 
Text-fig. 17. 
C 
B 
A 
A. Mouth of young Hypary os schlegeli (from a sketch hy the author), 
see p. 591. B. Mouth of nestling Estrilda nonnula , see p. 593. 
C. Mouth of young Estrilda melpoda (from a sketch by the author), 
see p. 595, 
None came to me with such an additional nest joined to it as 
that there described ; but in one case I was told that there 
had been such an additional nest which was not brought. 
In this case the eggs were in the main nest, and the addition 
was empty : the boy called it the place where <f the cock bird 
sleeps.Another of these nests of Estrilda nonnula shown 
to me had a sort of rudimentary or unfinished addition at its 
base. 
One of the nests above referred to contained, besides the 
mother bird, five young and naked nestlings. The mouth 
of one of these, that was preserved in spirit, is here figured. 
Note in the figure (17 B) also the “ egg-tooth ” on the tip 
of the bill. 
The number of eggs brought in a nest varied from three 
to six. Nineteen eggs that were measured vary in length 
