Mashonaland Birds. 
241 
Mashonaland, though I have seen but few round Salisbury. 
Mr. J. G. Millais has given an admirable account of the 
species in his magnificent book ‘ A Breath from the Veldt/ 
88. Vidua principalis. (Common Widow-bird.) 
A fairly common resident, occurring in small flocks in 
open country near streams and swamps, and feeding on grass- 
seeds. 
89. Penthetria ardens. (Red-collared Widow-bird.) 
This species is only to be found in large reedy swamps, 
where, however, it is fairly plentiful, though very wary. The 
male, when showing off, expands the feathers of his curiously- 
constructed tail vertically, so as to make it appear as deep as 
possible. He is very much like a small edition of the Saka- 
bula (Chera progne), a bird, however, which does not appear 
to occur within the tropics. Stomachs contained seeds and 
small beetles. 
90. Pyromelana oryx. (Scarlet Bishop-bird.) 
Very local, but plentiful wherever large reed-beds are found. 
There are few prettier sights than the male in his courting 
flight, floating with feathers puffed up and quivering wings 
over the green reeds, a living ball of black and scarlet plush. 
Its stomachs contain seeds, small beetles, and an occasional 
spider. 
91. Pyromelana xanthomel^ena. (Black-and-Yellow 
Bishop-bird.) 
Much more generally distributed than P. oryx , and not so 
much attached to the reed-beds, but occurring anywhere 
along streams and rivers, though I have even found it 
perching on trees at a considerable distance from water. 
The nest is generally suspended from a twig over water, and 
roughly but strongly built of coarse grass, the seed-heads of 
which are ingeniously twisted into the interior of the nest, 
so as to form a deep soft lining. The eggs (24 \ x 16J mm.) 
are of a bluish-green colour, handsomely marked with surface- 
blotches of both dark and light brown, and underlying 
patches of violet-grey. 
