31. SPOR^GINTHUS. 321 



a few tiny white spots, rather larger on the scapulars, lower back, 

 rump, and upper tail-coverts, which are brighter crimson, the white 

 spots being tinged with rosy : wings dark brown, the coverts and 

 inner secondaries with large terminal spots of white ; bastard-wing, 

 primary-coverts, and quills uniform dusky brown ; tail-feathers 

 black, the outer feathers with white spots at one end ; head, sides 

 of face, and under surface of body bright crimson ; lores black ; 

 below the eye some tiny white plumelets ; throat somewhat mottled 

 with black bases to the feathers, as also the feathers of the lower 

 breast ; abdomen and under tail-coverts black ; thighs black, barred 

 with whitish ; on the chest as well as the sides of the fore neck 

 and sides of body some rounded spots of white, larger on the sides 

 of the body and the flanks ; under wing- coverts white ; quills 

 dusky below, ashy along the inner web : " bill red, dusky at base 

 of culm en ; legs and feet brownish flesh-colour; iris orage-red'' 

 {E. A. Butler). Total length 4-3 inches, culmen 0-4, wing 1-85, 

 tail 1"5, tarsus O'o. 



Adult nude in winter plumage. Dark chocolate-brown, with the 

 crimson white-spotted rump and upper tail-covert.s as in the full 

 plumage ; wings dark brown, with round white spots, also on the 

 inner secondaries (these easily distinguish winter-plumaged adults 

 from the brown-plumaged young) ; sides of face dark brown ; chin 

 whitish ; throat and chest ashy brown, as also the sides of the body, 

 the flanks having a few white spots ; breast and abdomen ochreous 

 buff, with a little scarlet on the former ; under tail-coverts white. 



Adult female. Brown; wings darker brown, with small white 

 spots on the wing-coverts and inner secondaries ; lower rump and 

 upper tail-coverts dull crimson, with whitish edges and spots ; 

 head like the back; lores, eyelid, and feathers behind the eye 

 black ; a whitish streak below the eye ; sides of face, cheeks, and 

 ear-coverts ashy brown; throat ochreous white, fading into ashy 

 brown on the lower throat and chest, washed with ochreous buff; 

 breast and abdomen saffrou-bufl", a little tinged with orange on the 

 former ; sides of body, flanks, and thighs ashy brown ; under tail- 

 coverts like abdomen; under wing-coverts white, washed with 

 saffron- yellow : " soft parts as in male " {E. A. Bidltr). Total length 

 4-3 inches, culmen 0-4, wing 1-9, tail 1-5, tarsus 0-55. 



Younrj. Like the old female, but rather more olive-brown ; no 

 white spots on the wing-coverts, which are distinctly tipped with 

 fulvous : quills dusky brown, the inner secondaries edged externally 

 with fulvous; tail-feathers blackish, the outer feathers rather 

 broadly edged with fulvous-brown ; lores ashy whitish ; sides of 

 face brown; under surface of body ochreous buff, paler on the 

 under tail-coverts. 



Considerable variation in the number and size of the white spots 

 is seen in a series of specimens. I thought at first that the Javan 

 and Malaccan specimens were rather more minutely spotted, but I 

 find specimens from India which match them exactly, and I have 

 come to the conclusion that E. imnicea cannot be separated from 

 E. amandava. 



VOL. XTTT. r 



