UROLONCI! A . 183 



Jerdon states that tbis species occasionally extends to Bengal, but 

 I have not seen any specimen from that province. 



Habits, &fc. Breeds from April to October. The eggs measure 

 about -64 by '47. 



726. Munia atricapilla. The Chestnut-bellied Munia. 



Loxia atricapilla, Vieill. Ois. Chant, p. 84, pi. 53 (1805). 



Munia rubroniger, Hodgs. As. Res. xix, p. 153 (1836) ; Blyth, Cat. 



p. 116 ; Hotvf. $ M. Cat. ii, p. 507 : Jerd. B. I. ii, p. 353 ; Legge, 



Birds Ceyl. p. 652. 

 Munia atricapilla (Vieill.}, Hume, N. fy E. p. 444; Anders. Yunnan 



Exped., Aves, p. 598 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xiii, p. 334 ; Oates in 



Hume's N. 8f E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 129. 

 Amadiua rubronigTa (Hodgs.}, Hume, Cat. no. 698 ; Barnes, Birds 



Bom. p. 262 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 272. 

 Amadina atricapilla ( Vieill}, Oates B. B. i, p. 366. 



Coloration. The whole head, neck, and upper breast deep black ; 

 middle of the abdomen, vent, thighs, and under tail-coverts dull 

 black ; remainder of the lower plumage, the back, scapulars, upper 

 rump, and the whole of the wings chestnut ; lower rump and upper 

 tail-coverts rich maroon, the latter tipped with glistening golden 

 fulvous ; tail brown, margined with glistening golden fulvous. 



Towards the southern part of its range this species has the back 

 washed with silvery grey. 



The young bird is plain rufous-brown above and pale buff 

 below. 



Bill leaden blue ; iris dark brown ; legs dark plumbeous. 



Length about 4*5; tail 1*5; wing 2*1; tarsus "55; bill from 

 gape *45. 



Distribution. The country skirting the base of the Himalayas 

 from the Dehra Dun to the extreme east of Assam; Lower 

 Bengal ; Chutia Nagpur and Sambalpur in the Central Provinces ; 

 the whole eastern portion of the Empire from Assam down to 

 Tenasserim. This species has been recorded from Ceylon, but it 

 is probable that the specimens observed there had escaped from 

 captivity. M. atricapilla has a wide range, being found in China, 

 Siam, and the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo. 



Habits, fyc. Breeds from June to September in swampy localities. 

 The eggs measure about *63 by *43. 



Genus UROLONCHA, Cabanis, 1851. 



The genus Urolonclia contains numerous species of Munias in 

 which the tail is much longer than in typical Munia, the difference 

 between the tail and the wing being much less than the length of 

 the tarsus ; the graduation of the tail-feathers is also much 

 greater. 



In this genus the sexes are absolutely alike, and the colour of 

 the crown of the head is very closely, or quite, the same as that of 

 the back. 



