THREE SPECIES OF LONCHURA — PARKES 289 



ever, be expanded. The black abdominal patch is absent. The 

 back is paler (particularly noticeable in fresh plumage) than that of 

 adjacent populations to the north and west. The rump is darker 

 and more reddish than the back, but this color is much paler and more 

 diffuse than in any of the races to the north. The upper tail coverts 

 and central rectrices are yellow. The race L. m. batakana (Chasen 

 and Kloss) from the mountains of northern Sumatra is similar in 

 dorsal color (including rump and tail), but smaller, and with a well- 

 defined black abdominal patch. 



Toward the northwest, sinensis intergrades with atricapilla, as 

 suggested by Chasen and E^oss (1929, p. 23). A specimen from 

 Pegu is precisely lilvc sinensis above and below, except that the rump 

 is a deeper maroon and quite sharply defined. Another Pegu speci- 

 men is similar dorsally, but blackish on the lower abdomen and under 

 tail coverts. Specimens from northern Burma and northwestern 

 Yunnan resemble atricapilla in having the tail and coverts yellow, 

 and a well-defined maroon rump patch; the Yunnan specimens are 

 paler than those of Burma. Ventrally these birds are rather variable, 

 but all have a more-or-less diffused blackish area in the lower abdo- 

 men. 



In Assam and Bengal occurs true atricapilla, which has a well- 

 defined black abdominal patch, deep maroon rump, and yellow tail and 

 coverts. 



Salomonsen (1953, p. 266), Smythies (1953, p. 229), and others have 

 synonymized Munia rubro-nigra Hodgson (Nepal) with atricapilla of 

 Bengal. This is understandable in view of the distributions and 

 distinguishing characters for the two claimed by Stuart Baker (1926, 

 pp. 80-81). Both are incorrect. As pointed out by Vaurie (1949, 

 p. 38) and others, rubro-nigra does not differ from atricapilla in wing 

 length or color of underparts. Judging from a limited amount of 

 material, however, the name rubro-nigra is available for a well-marked 

 race of Nepal and adjacent India. It occurs at least as far east as 

 Jainagar, on the Nepal-Bihar border (specimen, Yale Peabody Mus. 

 26520, slightly intermediate toward atricapilla), and as far west as 

 Dehra Dun. It resembles atricapilla in having a well-defined black 

 abdominal patch and sharply defined maroon rump, but the long, 

 dissected upper tail coverts are a rich maroon red, little different 

 from the rump, whereas in atricapilla these feathers are golden yellow 

 to orange. The rectrices themselves are washed with yellow in 

 atricapilla, deep reddish brown in rubro-nigra. The latter race is also 

 slightly paler dorsally. The four rubro-nigra seen have quite large 

 and heavy bills, but accurately sexed material is insufficient to deter- 

 mine whether there is any actual difference between the two races in 

 this respect. 



