UROLONCKA. 



135 



Mr. Vidal, writing of the S. Konkan, says :— " Common every- 

 where in gardens and jungles. I have found numbers of old nests 

 used as roosting-places, but have never succeeded in getting any 

 eggs." 



In Ceylon, according to Colonel Legge, these Munias appear to 

 be constantly nesting. 



The eo-o-s which 1 have from Tercand in 8outhern India, 

 Eaipoor,'^and other places are precisely similar in appearance 

 to manv esgs of Uroloncha punctulata, U. malaharica, &c. They 

 are regular, somewhat elongated, little ovals, very pure white ami 

 perfectly devoid of gloss. 



They vary in length from 0-55 to 0-65, and in breadth from 0-42 

 to U-47 ; but the average of ten eggs is 0-Gl by 0-44. 



730. Uroloncha fumigata(Walden). The Andaman White-bacl-ed 



Mania. 

 Amadina fumigata, Wald., Hume, Cat. no. 701 ter. 



Of this Andaman race, Mr. Davison says :— " They must breed 

 very early, or rather, perhaps I should say, late; for when I 

 arrived at the Andamans in December the young had left the 

 nests. Several old nests that 1 found were large globular struc- 

 tures made of grass, with the entrance placed at one side and 

 drawn out into a short neck— in fact, very similar to those of 

 8. amandava.^' 



731. Uroloncha leucogastra (Bl.). The White-hdlied Mania. 



Amadiua leucogastra {Blyth), Hume, Cat. no. 701 bis. 



Mr. Davison writes from Tenasserim : — " On the 25th of 

 April last I took a nest of this species in dense forest between 

 ]Malawoon and Bankasoon, and about six miles from the nearest 



open ground. ^ ■ ^ u 



"The nest was a globular structure about / inches long by 

 about 6 wide at the broadest part, and was composed of dry grass 

 and bamboo-leaves, and lined with finer grass-stems and a few 

 fibres, and placed in the fork of a sapling about seven feet from 

 the ground. It contained a single white egg, similar to that of 

 U. acuticauda." ^ 



Some eggs subsequently obtained are somewhat elongatea ovals, 

 at times very markedly so. Generally they are rather regular 

 ovals but some of the broader types are slightly compressed 

 towards the small end. The shell is very fine, and apparently 

 fragile, but pretty strong all the same. It is entirely devoid 

 of gloss ; the colour is snow-white. ^ ,o ^ 



Y\\e eggs measured from 0-(J to 0-69 in length, and from 0-42 to 

 0-46 in breadth. 



