40 
Mr. G. L. Bates— Field-Notes on the 
18 mm.; culmen ridged and narrow, while that of M. niger- 
rimus is rounded and broad ; smooth at base, while in every 
one of the score of specimens of M. nigerrimus examined 
the culmen is crossed near the base by wave-like wrinkles. 
Feet smaller and darker in colour than in M. nigerrimus. 
Besides, this is a female bird, and only the male of M. 
nigerrimus is black. And this bird was certainly the mate 
of No. 1048, a male Malimbus cassini , reported in f The 
Ibis ’ (l. s. c.). 
Nos. 1048 and 1049 were both shot by myself at their 
nest in the forest, high up in a Calamus or vine-palm. To 
quote from my notebook :— u The nest was in plain sight, 
but not conspicuous, because of its resemblance to the dry 
fronds of the palm. The long entrance pointed diagonally 
downwards, and its walls were so thin as to be transparent, so 
that the birds could be seen through it entering and leaving. 
The two birds were coming and going, as if feeding their 
young. The perfectly black specimen (No. 1049) was shot 
first, and the other when it returned, ten or fifteen minutes 
later. We could not get the nest.” I well remember the 
gallant efforts the two little boys with me made to climb the 
surrounding trees and so to reach the nest, for a vine-palm, 
with its stem thickly set with long prickles, is unclimbable. 
After giving that up we all tried to haul down the vine, but it 
was too firmly anchored to the surrounding tree-tops by the 
strong barbs on the tips of its fronds. The birds* castle was 
impregnable, as it certainly would have been, also, to pre¬ 
datory beasts and snakes. So far as I remember, the tubular 
entrance to this nest was two or three feet long. The nest 
seemed to be woven of narrow shreds torn from the leaves 
of the palm. Though the weaving was open, with many 
interstices, it seemed to be neat. 
No. 1538, $ (culmen 15*5 mm.), is exactly like No. 1049. 
No. 2515, $ (culmen 16*5 mm.), is exactly like No. 1049. 
My boy brought in along with this No. 2514, another male 
Malimbus cassini reported in f The Ibis'* (/. c.) } and said that 
he had shot the two together. 
This seems to be the first discovery of the female of 
Malimbus cassini, and also the first Malimbus that is entirely 
