484 NOVELTIES. 
Alobeltics. 
Estrilda burmanica, Sp. Nov. 
Male in breeding plumage, similar to amandava, but upper tail coverts 
and tertiaries unspotted ; abdomen pale saffron yellow, tinged with 
crimson ; spottings of breast and wing coverts extremely minute ; 
general coloring paler. 
I First noticed this representative species amongst some 
birds sent me by Mr. Oates; the specimens were not good, 
and I had no series of the Indian birds with which to compare 
them. Dr. Armstrong has now brought a fine specimen, a 
male, obtained at Elephant Point near Rangoon, exhibiting 
the same peculiarities as those which I noticed in Mr. Oates’ 
specimens. ‘The following are the dimensions and colors of the 
soft parts of Dr. Armstrong’s specimen as recorded by him in 
the flesh :— 
Length, 4:2; expanse, 5°35; tail, 15 ; wing, 1°75; tarsus, 
0°51; bill from gape, 0°33; irides, crimson; bill, deep red, 
blackish at base on the culmen of upper mandible; legs and 
feet, flesh color. 
The chin, throat, breast, cheeks, orbital region, lores, and a 
line over the eye, crimson; the feathers of the breast and 
sides of the neck with minute subterminal white specks ; 
abdomen, flanks, and vent, a sort of saffron yellow, most of the 
feathers partially washed with pale crimson ; lower tail coverts, 
black ; some of the shorter ones white at their bases and tipped 
with a pinky yellowish white; upper tail coverts, crimson, 
unspotted ; head, nape, back, wings, a rather light hair brown ; 
the median and lesser coverts with a few minute white 
spots. 
It has to be noticed that the abdomen in the non-breeding 
plumage of the male amandava sometimes closely resembles in 
color, though it is less bright, the abdomen of the present spe- 
cies in breeding plumage, but when amandava has put on the 
crimson of the upper parts, the abdomen always becomes 
blackish brown, 
Again, specimens in non breeding plumage of female 
amandava sometimes have the upper tail coverts entirely un- 
spotted, but I have seen no instance of the upper tail coverts 
of the male in breeding plumage being absolutely unspotted. 
Further it has to be remarked that, judging from a large 
series, the larger wing coverts in adult amandava are never 
spotless. Lastly, none of my specimens of amandava—and 
