UROLONCHA. 



185 



brown • feathers round the bill, the chin, and upper throat black ; 

 ear-coverts and sides of neck rufous, with paler margins and white 

 shafts • lower throat, fore neck, and breast chocolate-brown, with 

 pale rufous or whitish margins and white shafts ; abdomen and 

 sides of the body white mottled with brown ; vent, thighs, and 

 under tail-coverts chocolate-brown with white shaft-streaks. 



Young birds have the upper plumage somewhat similar to that 

 of the adult, and the lower plumage almost uniform dull greyish 

 white mottled with brown. , . 



Upper mandible blackish, the lower plumbeous : ins dark brown : 

 legs plumbeous ; claws horny. 



Length about 4-5; tail 1-76; wing 2; tarsus -55; bill from 



This bird varies slightly in plumage throughout its great range 



Distribution. The lower ranges of the Himalayas from (xarnwal 



to Assam, up to 5000 feet; the whole eastern portion of the 



Empire from Assam to Tenasserim : sparingly distributed. _ this 



species extends to Southern China, Siam, the Malay peninsula, 



and Sumatra. , 



Habits, 6fc. Breeds from about June to November or Deceinbei. 

 The eggs measure about -61 by -42. 



728. Uroloncha striata. The White-backed Munia. 



Loxia striata, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 306 (1766). ..„„... 

 Munia striata (Linn.), Blyth, Cat. p. 117 ; Horsf.Jf M. Cat u, 

 p 511 ; Jerd.B. I. ii, p. 356 ; Hume, N. 8f E p. 448 ; Legge, Birds 



Amalna striata (Linn.), Hume, Cat. no. 701 ; Oates, B. B. i, p. 365 ; 



Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 263. ... 



Uroloncha striata (Linn.), Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xm, p. 3o9; Oates 



in Hume's N. 8? E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 133. 

 ShaJcari munia, Beng. ; We-Jctmdla, Ceyl. ; Tinna huruvi, Tarn. 



Coloration. Forehead and crown blackish, with the shafts in- 

 distinctly white ; upper plumage chocolate-brown, becoming blacker 

 on the upper tail-coverts, all the feathers with a white shaft ; a 

 broad white band across the rump ; tail black ; wmg-coverts black 

 with whitish shafts ; quills black ; lores, round the eye, cheeks, 

 chin, throat, and breast deep black,; ear-coverts and sides of the 

 neck chocolate-brown with pale shaft-streaks ; abdomen and sides 

 of the body white ; vent, thighs, and under tad-coverts dark brown 

 or blackish ; under wing-coverts and axillanes white. 



Toung birds resemble the adult, but have the chm, throat, and 

 breast brown with paler margins and shafts. _ 



Upper mandible blackish, the lower bluish ; ins reddish brown ; 

 legs greenish horny. 



Length about 4-5 ; tail 1-8 ; wing 2 ; tarsus -5 ; bill from gape 4. 



This bird is subject to slight variations in plumage according to 

 age and locality. .. 



Distribution. Ceylon and the southern half of India up to a line 



