342 FRINGILLID^E. 



77(73. Southern India and Ceylon, a few stragglers, according to Jerdon, 

 being found in Central India and even in Bengal. On the Malabar Coast it is 

 extremely abundant, frequenting long grass by the sides of rivers and tanks; also 

 grain and cane-fields. The nest is placed among reeds, and is a rather large 

 or nearly round or oval structure made of grass with the entrance on one sid'e. 

 The eggs, according to Jerdon, are 46 in number, and in colour pure white. 

 Hume says he had notes of eggs sent to him from the Coimbatore districts? 

 also from the Bhundara districts, and describes them as somewhat elongated 

 ovals, from 0*6 to 0*72 inch in length, and from 0*44 to 0*5 in breadth. 



879. Amadina atricapilla ( Vieill.), Gates, B. Br. Burm. \. p 366. 



Loxia atricapilla, Vieill., Ois. Chant, p. 53 Coccothraustes sinensis, Briss,, 

 Orn. iii. p. 235. Munia rubronigra, Hodgs., As. Res. xix. p. 156; Jerd., B. 

 Ind. ii. p. 353, No. 698 ; Legge, B. Ceylon, p. 625 ; Blyth, B. Burm. p 92 ; 

 Gates, Sir. F. v. p. 160; Hume and Dav., Str. F. vi. p. 401 (footnote). Munia 

 atricapilla, Hume, Nests and Eggs Ind. B. ii. p. 444 ; Salv., Ucc. Born, 

 p. 265 ; Wald., Trans. Zool. Soc. ix. p. 208. Munia sinensis, Daud. et Oust., 

 Ois. Ckine'.p. 342. Amadina rubronigra, Hume, Str. F. viii. p. 107 ; Scully ', 

 Str. F. viii. p. 32. The CHESTNUT-BELLIED MUNIA. 



Head, neck and breast black ; remainder of the plumage chestnut, turning 

 to glistening fulvous on the rump, upper tail coverts and the outer edges of 

 the tail feathers ; centre of abdomen, vent and under tail coverts black. Bill 

 and feet plumbeous ; iris dark brown. 



Length. 4'5 inches ; wing 2*1 ; tarsus O*55 ; bill from gape 0*45. 



The young are pale fulvous throughout ; lighter below than above. 



Hab. Northern India ; found throughout Lower Bengal and along the foot 

 of the Himalayas as far as Dehra Dhoon ; also in the N.-W. Provinces. It 

 has been procured in Ceylon as well as in Southern India ; rare in the latter 

 country, but is much more common in Assam and Burmah, throughout the 

 Malay Peninsula, the Islands of Sumatra and Borneo, South- West China, and 

 the Indo-Burmese countries. In Burmah it occurs in all parts of the province. 

 It everywhere affects grassy land in flocks of from 6 to 12 ; breeds from 

 June to August in Burmah, placing the nest in a clump of elephant grass. 

 Eggs generally five, pure white. Gates says that the nest of this bird is very 

 often tenanted by a snake, and great care should be taken not to insert the 

 hand without previous examination. 



880- Amadina punctulata (Lmn.}, Gates, B. Br. Burm. i, 

 p- 368. Loxia punctulata, Linn., Syst. Nat. i. p. 302. Loxia undulata, Lath., 

 Ind. Orn. i. p. 387. Munia undulata, Jerd., B. Ind. ii. p. 354, No. 699. 

 Munia punctulata, Hume, Nests and Eggs Ind. B. p. 444 ; Legge, B. Ceylon, 

 p. 656. Munia subundulata, Godw.-AusL, P. Z. S. 1874, p. 48 ; Hume, Str. 

 F. iii. p. 398 ; Gates, Str. F. v. p. 162. Munia superstriata, Hume, Sir. F. 

 i. p. 481 (footnote) ; Hume and Dav., Sir. F. vi. p. 402. Munia punctularia, 



