UROLONCHA. 185 



brown ; feathers round the bill, the chin, and upper throat black ; 

 ear-coverts and sides of neck rufous, with paler margins and white 

 shafts ; lower throat, fore neck, and In-east chocolate-brown, witli 

 pale rufous or whitish margins and white shafts ; abdomen and 

 sides of the body white mottled with brown ; vent, thighs, and 

 under tail-coverts chocolate-brown with white shaft-streaks. 



Young birds have the upper plumage somewhat similar to that 

 of the adult, and the lower plumage almost uniform dull greyish 

 white mottled with brown. 



Upper mandible blackish, the lower plumbeous ; iris dark brown ; 

 legs plumbeous ; claws horny. 



Length about 4*5 ; tail 1*75 ; wing 2 ; tarsus '55 ; bill from 

 gape -4. 



This bird varies slightly in plumage throughout its great range. 



Distribution. The lower ranges of the Himalayas from Grarhwal 

 to Assam, up to 5000 feet ; the whole eastern portion of the 

 Empire from Assam to Tenasserim : sparingly distributed. This 

 species extends to Southern China, Siam, the Malay peninsula, 

 and Sumatra. 



Habits, $c. Breeds from about June to November or December. 

 The eggs measure about -61 by -42. 



728. Uroloncha striata. The White-backed Munia. 



Loxia striata, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 306 (1766). 



Munia striata (Linn.), Blyth, Cat. p. 117 ; Horsf. fy M. Cat. ii, 



p. 511 ; Jerd. B. I. ii, p. 356 ; .Hume, N. $ E. p. 448 ; Legge, Birds 



Ceyl. p. 660. 

 Amadina striata (Linn.'), Hume, Cat. no. 701 ; Gates, B. B. i, p. 365 ; 



Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 263. 

 Uroloncha striata (Linn.), Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xiii, p. 359; Oatfs 



in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 133. 



Shakari munia, Beng. ; We-kurulla, Ceyl. ; Tinna kuruvi, Tani. 



Coloration. Forehead and crown blackish, with the shafts in- 

 distinctly white ; upper plumage chocolate-brown, becoming blacker 

 on the upper tail-coverts, all the feathers with a white shaft ; a 

 broad white band across the rump ; tail black ; wing-coverts black 

 with whitish shafts ; quills black ; lores, round the eye, cheeks, 

 chin, throat, and breast deep blacky ear-coverts and sides of the 

 neck chocolate-brow r n with pale shaft-streaks ; abdomen and sides 

 of the body white ; vent, thighs, and under tail-coverts dark brown 

 or blackish ; under wing-coverts and axillaries white. 



Young birds resemble the adult, but have the chin, throat, and 

 breast brown with paler margins and shafts. 



Upper mandible blackish, the lower bluish ; iris reddish brown ; 

 legs greenish horny. 



Length about 4-5 ; tail 1*8 ; wing 2 ; tarsus '5 ; bill from gape *4. 



This bird is subject to slight variations in plumage according to 

 age and locality. 



'',. Ceylon and the southern half of India up to a Hue 



