ESTRELDIN^. 353 



The Black-headed Munia is chiefly found in Southern India 

 and Ceylon, a few stragglers occurring in Central India, and 

 even in Bengal occasionally. It is very abundant in parts of 

 Southern India, especially on the Malabar coast, frequenting 

 long grass by the sides of rivers and tanks, occasionally dry 

 grain fields, and very commonly sugar-cane fields. It often 

 associates in very large flocks. The nest in usually placed 

 among reeds, in tanks, or in the beds of rivers ; occasionally 

 in long grass in the bunds of paddy-fields. It is a rather large, 

 nearly round or oval nest, neatly but loosely made of grass, with 

 the hole at one side, this in general being very artfully concealed 

 by the interlacing of the fibres of grass, so that I have been 

 puszled for a tew moments to discover the entrance; and the 

 eggs, four to six in number, are pure white. 



698. Munia rubronigra, Hodgson. 



As. Res. XIX. 153— Blyth, Cat. 622— HousF., Cat, 

 774 — Lox. malacca, var., Latham — Lonchura melanocephala, 

 McLelland. 



The Chesnut-bellied Munia. 



Descr. — Head, neck, and breast, black ; rest of the plumage deep 

 chesnut or cinnamon, passing to glistening maronne on the upper 

 tail-coverts, and tinged with fulvous on the tail ; a stripe down 

 the middle of the belly, vent, and under tail-coverts, black. 



Bill and feet plumbeous ; irides dark brown. Length 4^ inches; 

 wing 2^ ; tail li ; bill at front ^ ; tarsus j^^-. The young are 

 brown above, paler brown below ; head and breast somewhat 

 infuscated. 



This very closely allied species, which differs from the last only 

 in having the belly chesnut in place of white, replaces it in the 

 north of India, being found throughout Lower Bengal, and all along 

 the foot of the Himalayas as far as the Dehra Doon ; and also 

 in some of the more wooded adjacent districts, but it would appear 

 to be rare in the open country of the N. W. Provinces. I have 

 seen specimens from the Easte^rn coast north of Madras, and Mr. 

 Layard procured it in Ceylon, but it is certainly rare in Southern 



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