Birds of Celebes: Ploceidae. 543 



Segeri (Meyer b 11), Maiiado (Meyer b 11 in Dresd. Mus.); Philippines — Mindanao, 

 Gruimaras, Luzon (Steere b 7, b 19, Mait. Heriot 9], Panay and Samar (Bourns & 

 "Worcester 14]; Borneo (Mottley 4, etc., b 5, b 17); Sumatra (Raffl. b 5, Buxton 9, 

 Hagen b 20); Singapore (Davison 5); Malay Peninsula (Cantor b n); Cochin China 

 (Pierre .9); South and Central Cliina (David b 8, Styan b 21, etc.); Japan (Brit. 

 Mus. .9 and Dresd. Mus.); Tenasseriui (Berdmore b 10, Brit. Mus. 9); S. India near 

 Madras (Hume b 10, 10, 11); Ceylon (Legge b 12); Mauritius and Reunion (6, 2, 7 ,\ 

 Seychelles (Brit. Mus. S; Zanzibar (Kirk 7, .9, Finn 13); Pangani (Kirk 9); St. 

 Helena (Melliss b 2). 



Originally the Java Sparrow was most likely a native of the island of Java 

 alone, and owes its presence in other parts of the world, where it is now found 

 wild, to the escape of caged specimens or to intentional introduction by man. 

 In Java it exists in great numbers. In its more distant localities, such as 

 St. Helena, Zanzibar, Bourbon and Mauritius, it is known to have been intro- 

 duced, and Legge, Hume, and Gates regard this as the case in Ceylon and 

 Madras. Proof of its introduction into Tenasserim may now be impossible to 

 obtain. In China the species is to some extent a migrant, showing — if we 

 may assume its recent importation there — how readily the habit of migration 

 is adopted, without the aid of glacial epochs or anything of the kind. It is 

 much appreciated as a cage-bird, not only in Europe, but in China, Ceylon, 

 Borneo, and elsewhere. In Labuan Whitehead believes the bird to be an 

 importation of the Hon. Hugh Low, and it is now abundant and increasing. 

 It is believed by Hagen {h 20) to have been introduced into Sumatra. In 

 Celebes itself the species is common near Macassar, but rare in the North, where 

 it has only been found by Meyer near Manado. 



The wants of the Java Sparrow are much the same as those of man, the 

 grain which the latter cultivates suiting the former very well, and hence the 

 readiness with which the bird becomes acclimatized around towns and settlements 

 in the East. 



Cases of albinism in this species are very common. 



Munia oryzivora is a very distinct species, easily recognisable by its white 

 cheeks and ear-coverts among all other species of Munia, excepting its nearest 

 ally, M.fuscata of Timor, which has the fore-neck and breast light chocolate- 

 brown, the remaining under-parts white), separated from the brown chest by a 

 band of black (Sharpe). 



1- 225. MUNIA FORMOSANA Swinh. 



Brown Munia. 



Dark . specimens of M. hrunneiceps of Celebes and Borneo intergrade with 

 light ones of M.jagori of the Philippines; these forms are, therefore, subspecies. 

 M. hrunneiceps again, according to Sharpe, is a subspecies of M. formosana. 

 We have no sufficient material for comparing M. atricapilla and ruhronigra of 



