730 REPORT OF THE HARVARD AFRICAN EXPEDITION 
tree, of which one or two frequently remain of the original forest cover, to 
stand conspicuously like guardians over the chief’s compound. Again they 
will start colonies among smaller trees. Thus at Moylakwelli, in the midst of 
the village clearing was a small fig tree only twenty to twenty-five feet high 
with a considerable colony of these birds, which we were specially asked not 
to molest, for when the town was founded two or three years previously, the 
birds had at once taken up residence in the tree, and this was looked upon by 
the natives as a good omen. They feared that should the birds desert the 
situation the good fortune of the village would also leave. This was the only 
instance in which we found any concern displayed by the inhabitants for the 
welfare of birds. It is interesting that this bird of the outer branches of trees has 
a livery similar in tones to that of the orioles of our own country, and like them 
builds a pendant purse-like nest. Occasionally, as Biittikofer has recorded, 
a colony of some other weaver will occupy the same tree with the Black- 
headed Weaver. He found such a nesting colony of this species and M. cas- 
taneofusca at Robertport. It is evident, however, that the Black-headed is the 
dominant species in such cases. 
The life-history of this eminently gregarious bird merits a fuller investi- 
gation than we were able to make, for its highly social nature makes it of 
more than usual interest. The most active season of nesting seems to come 
toward the close of the rains, for the torrential downpours of the wet period 
must eventually soak through even the snugly roofed-over baskets of the weav- 
ers. We found young just able to fly in a large colony at Suehn, November 4. 
While the birds of the colony appear to remain more or less in the vicinity 
of their home-tree most of the year, Kemp (1905) says that they occasionally 
may leave for several days together, flying off in parties of twenty to fifty. 
At such times they visit the neighboring rice fields and undoubtedly devour 
a considerable amount of grain. During the ripening period the women and 
boys spend much of the day posted on lookouts here and there in the fields 
to drive away the marauding flocks with shouts, sticks, and stones. The flocks 
of birds that we found in August and early October consisted of both old and 
young birds of both sexes. In July the colonies are not wholly deserted 
but more or less activity continues about the old nests, which are added to 
frequently. 
In so gregarious a species, it is interesting to see how well developed the 
sense of ‘‘territory”’ 1s, for one would think that the individual bird could 
hardly guard its own nest from invasion by its neighbors. But apparently 
as a preliminary to breeding the males of the various pairs take up a definite 
station and preémpt a small “‘territory”’ consisting of a separate small branch 
which supports the nest. At Suahkoko, on September 1, I watched for some 
time a small and apparently newly started colony in a young silk-cotton tree 
by the side of the chief’s stockade. There were perhaps three dozen birds. 
In the early morning till about ten o’clock the males were much in evidence 
about this tree. Hach seemed to have preémpted a special small branch and 
drove off with threatening advance, any others of the colony that chanced 
