(_Three-fourths Life size_)]
[Illustration: THE GOLDEN WEAVER BIRD (_Ploceus galbula_) AND THE MASKED
WEAVER BIRD (_Ploceus larvatus_).]
* * * * *
The BAYAS (_Nelicurvius_). The members of this remarkable group inhabit
the whole of Southern Asia, including the neighbouring islands, and are
characterised by the formation of the beak, which is somewhat prolonged,
with the ridge vaulted, and joining on to the forehead almost in a
straight line. The wings, of which the fourth quill is the longest,
are of moderate length, the tail is short, the feathers being of equal
size and sharply pointed, the tarsus strong, and of medium height; the
coloration of the plumage is by no means bright.