Male.—General colour of under parts golden-yellow; forehead
deep orange; back, rump, and shoulders greenish-yellow; chin,
throat, and a transverse stripe enclosing the eye, deep-black bordered
by a deep orange shade; bill black. In the female the chin and
throat are not black, and all the colours less vivid. Length, 7";
wing, 3" 3 " '; tail, 3" I"'-, irides yellow; bill narrow and
curved.
Fig. Smith, 111. Zool. S. Afr. pi. 30, fig. 2.
418. H y ph a n t o r n is c in c t a , Gass. Cassin’s Weaver Bird.
This species is not uncommon in Benguela, according to Mr.
Monteiro ; and Senor Anchieta found it very plentiful in the neighbourhood
of Novo Bedondo. It is a bird of large size, having the
sides of the head and the throat black, and is nearly allied to the
common U. textor of Western Africa. It has the mantle, however,
of a bright yellow evenly mottled with black, which brings it very
near to H. nigriceps, but it may be told from the latter species by
the chestnut on the sides of the lower throat and crop.
Fig. Cass. Journ. Acad. Philad. v, pi. xxiii, fig. 2.
419. H y p h a n t o r n is n ig r ic e p s , Layard.
Black-headed Weaver Bird.
This species was originally forwarded to us by Dr. Moffat from
Kuruman, and a specimen is in the British Museum from Natal. It
is known to come also from Mozambique, and is apparently more
plentiful along the coast of Eastern Africa and in the Zanzibar
districts. Like H. cincta it has the entire head black, and the
mantle bright yellow evenly mottled with black, but it has no
chestnut on the sides of the lower throat and crop, these parts
being yellow.
Mr. T. Ayres, who met with the present species when in company
with Mr. Jameson, on the Umvuli River, writes :—“ On the 1st of
October we found a nest suspended over the water of one of the
small rivers which run into the Umvuli on the north side; it contained
two very pretty blue eggs. Subsequently a whole colony
hung their nests over a pool of water close to our camp, but we left
before the birds began to lay; this was in the middle of October.
We later on found many nests hanging from the reeds on a small
stream running into the Quaequae River. These nests much
resemble those of II. mariquensis, but are hung from the ends of
the reeds instead of being placed between two upright reeds as is
generally the case with II. mariquensis. The habits of the two
species are precisely similar and the eggs likewise vary much in
colouring; some are blue-white, others are white speckled with
brown.” A single specimen has been procured by Senor Anchieta
at Oapangombe and Oaconda in Benguela.
Under parts bright yellow; upper parts the same, variegated
with black : this effect is caused by the bases of the feathers being
black, and the edges yellow; wing and tail-feathers dark-brown,
the former with yellow margins to the outer webs, and the latter
tinted with yellow; collar round the neck bright pure yellow;
head, chin, and throat black. Length, 6" 3 '" ; wing, 3 3 ;
tail, 2” 3'".
420. H y p h a n t o r n is s p il o n o t u s , Vig. Spotted-backed Weaver Bird.
Sir A. Smith describes this species as inhabiting the districts
upon the south-east coast, but not found to the westward of Kaffir-
land, frequenting rivers, and suspending their kidney-shaped nests
of woven grass over the water. We have received the species from
Kuruman, and several have been shot at Oatlands, close to Grahams-
town. Eggs, according to Dr. Smith, blue ; but Mr. Ayres (Ibis.,
1860, p. 212) says that in Natal they vary much in colour, being
green, blue, white, and speckled white and brown.
Captain Trevelyan has met with it near Kingwilliamstown, and
Mr. Rickard has procured it near East London. It extends to the
northward, as Mr. Andersson has recorded it from the Lake country,
though he is not certain of its occurrence in Damara or Great
Namaqua Land.
The present bird belongs to the section of the Weaver Birds
which have the sides of the head and the throat black, but the crown
is yellow, the mantle being bright yellow, evenly spotted with
black.
General eolour of head, breast, belly, vent, and rump, bright
gamboge-yellow: back liver-brown, and yellowish-green variegated;
sides of head, chin, and front of throat black; wing-feathers brown,
edged with yellow; tail greenish-brown; bill black; feet flesh-
colour. Length, 1" ; wing, 3” 6” ' ; tail, 2" 7” '.
Fig. ' Smith, 111. Zool. S. Afr. pi. 66, fig. 1.