182 



PLOCEIDJ5. 



Key to the Species 



a. Lower breast and sides of body wbite 



b. Lower breast and sides of body cbestnut . . 



M. malaeca, p. 182. 

 M. atricajnllciy-p. 183. 



Fig. 46.— Tail of M. malaeca. 



Fig. 47. — Head of M. malaeca. 



725. Munia malaeca. The Black-headed Munia. 



Loxia malaeca, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 302 (1766). 

 Munia malaeca (Linn.), Blyth, Cat. p. 116; Horsf. c/ M. Cat. ii, 

 p. 507 ; Jerd, B. I. ii, p. 352 ; Hume, N. fy E. p. 443 ; Legge, Birds 

 Ceyl. p. 652 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xiii, p. 330 ; Oates, in Hume's 

 N. f E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 126. 

 Amadina malaeca (Linn.), Hume, Cat. no. 697 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. 

 p. 362. 

 Nahal-nor, Hind. ; NalJa jinawayi, Tel. ; We-kuridla, Ceyl. ; Tinna 

 huruvi, Tarn. 



Coloration. The whole head, neck, and upper breast, the middle 

 of the abdomen, vent, thighs, and under tail-coverts deep black ; 

 remainder of lower plumage white ; back, upper rump, scapulars, 

 and the whole of the wings chestnut ; lower rump and upper tail- 

 coverts glistening maroon : tail dull chestnut, edged with glistening 

 maroon. 



The young bird has the whole upper plumage, wings, and tail 

 rufous-brown : the whole lower plumage pale buff. 



Bill pale lavender ; legs and feet leaden blue ; iris dark brown 

 (Butler). 



Length about 5 ; tail 1*6 ; wing 2*2 ; tarsus "6 ; bill from gape 

 •45. 



Distribution. Ceylon and the southern half of India up to about 

 the latitude of Bhandara and Raipur in the Central Provinces. 



* Munia oryzivora (Linn.). 



The Java Sparrow has been introduced into parts of India and is now to be 

 met with in the wild siate in Madras and, according to Blyth, in Tenasserirn. 

 I do not, however, propose to include it in my list. The following is a descrip- 

 tion of the bird. The sexes are alike : — 



Cheeks and ear-coverts white ; chin, throat, a line bordering the ear-coverts, 

 the forehead, and the whole top of the head black ; neck, breast, upper abdomen, 

 back, scapulars, and wings bluish grey ; rump, upper tail -coverts, and tail black ; 

 fdidomen, sides, thighs, and vent vinous, paler down the middle ; undpr tail- 

 coverts white. 



