THE WHITE-HEADED MANNIKIN. 243 



As already stated, the song of this, and the allied species, is a 

 kind of vibrating hum, interspersed with grating sounds not unlike 

 the creaking of a boot, and finishing up with a thin long-drawn whistle 

 (a sound only to be produced by whistling the highest producible note 

 through one's teeth) ; the beak is opened extravagantly wide, the 

 neck much elongated, and the head bent slightly forwards. At the 

 end of the performance, the head drops back suddenly into its normal 

 position, the neck being shortened with a jerk, as if from exhaustion. 



Illustrations from living examples and skins in the author's 

 possession. 



THE WHITE-HEADED MANNIKIN. 



Munia maja, LINN. 



THIS species differs far more in the sexes than the two preceding: 

 it is an inhabitant of the " Malayan Peninsular, from the Wellesley 

 Province southwards, Sumatra, Java." Sharpe. 



The adult male above is greyish chocolate- brown, the croup and 

 upper tail-coverts glossy deep maroon, the tips of the feathers of the 

 latter more fiery in tint ; tail-feathers dark-brown, edged with deep 

 red, the central ones red almost to the shaft, flight feathers dusky 

 excepting on the outer edges, which are coloured like the wing-coverts 

 and back ; head white, stained with brownish buff on the nape, neck, 

 and centre of the throat ; chest deeper, greyish-fawn ; sides deep 

 chocolate ; remainder of under-surface black ; under wing-coverts fawn- 

 coloured, flights below mostly silky grey ; tail feathers below deep 

 brown. Length \,\, inches. Beak pale bluish-grey, darker at base; 

 legs deep leaden grey ; iris dark brown. 



The female, when fully adult, is decidedly larger than the male 

 (4^ inches) deeper-coloured and somewhat greyer throughout ; the head 

 is not white, but smoky whitish ; the chin, throat and chest as well 

 as the front of the breast greyish-fawn, or mouse-brown ; the black of 



