THE AMADAVATS AND THE MtJNIAS. 139 



the light of the sun. In caged birds it becomes brick- 

 red. In winter the crimson feathers are mostly doffed 

 and both sexes dress alike. 



There is another lovely Amadavat, which Jerdon 

 calls the Green Waxbill (Estrelda formosa). It is 

 light green above, pale yellow beneath, and prettily 

 banded on the sides. This is certainly not a Bombay 

 bird, though common enough in cages, together with 

 some beautiful foreign species, which need not be 

 mentioned here. 



Of the Munias there are at least two species which 

 seem to be really resident in Bombay. The common- 

 est is Jerdon's White-backed Munia (Munia striata}^ 

 a black-and-white bird with a bluish beak. The 

 " smalT' of its back and its underparts, from the 

 breast downwards, are white. All the rest is very 

 dark brown, almost black in parts. Then there is the 

 Spotted Munia (M. undulata or puncttilata), of a rich 

 brown colour, passing into chestnut on the face and 

 throat. The underparts are white, or greyish, with 

 zebra stripes on the side. Young birds are of a dull, 

 earthy-brown colour. Two other species may be 

 described here, because they belong to our Presidency 

 and are common in cages. One is the Black-headed 

 Munia (M. malacca}^ a handsome bird, which has 

 its home in Canara and Malabar. Its head, throat, 

 and breast are glossy black, and its back, wings, and 

 tail bright chestnut. Below the breast it is white. 

 The other is the Plain Brown Munia (M. malabarica), 

 which may be found wild in Bombay, for it is every- 

 where, and in the Deccan is one of the commonest of 

 small birds, making its silly nest in every wayside 

 bush for schoolboys and crows to do what they like 



