Birds from British East Africa . 489 
back along the bough and then began to softly, whistle the 
most melodious notes, the hen all the time busily preening 
herself. What would have happened next I cannot tell, as 
I made a slight movement, and both birds at once flew off 
into thick cover. 
11. Vidua principalis. Pin-tailed Whydah. 
Vidua principalis (L.). 
Iris brown ; bill pink ; legs brown. 
Small flocks of Pin-tailed Whydahs were seen, always in 
the vicinity of water; one male appeared to be accompanied 
by about fifteen females. They are fond of sitting on the 
tops of tall reeds, and the males look very funny when the 
wind catches their extraordinary tails and blows them about, 
so that they only keep their perches with difficulty. Of the 
four males obtained three were in full breeding-plumage. 
12. Penthetria laticauda. Red-naped Whydah. 
Penthetria laticauda (Licht.). 
Iris brown; bill black; legs brown. 
The Red-naped Whydah was only obtained near the 
native shambas in the Reserve at Kallima Theki, and was 
by no means common there ; on April 12tli two males were 
shot which were both in mottled plumage. 
13. Drepanoplectes jacksoni. Jackson’s Whydah. 
Drepanoplectes jacksoni , Sharpe. 
Bill pale brown ; iris brown ; legs brown. 
Jackson’s Whydah was very common at Naivasha and a 
long series was obtained, the males varying enormously in 
the extent of the development of the breeding-plumage ; by 
March 9th the majority were in nearly full dress, though on 
the 12th I shot two males out of one flock, one of which was 
still entirely in its mottled brown plumage, while the other 
was in very nearly full breeding-plumage. Parties of forty or 
fifty females were generally accompanied by seven or eight 
males. This species makes rather remarkable playing-grounds 
for itself, though I only saw the males using them ; each 
playground is round and generally rather more than two 
