Birds of Celebes: Ploceidae. 545 



m. Munia atricapilla brunneiceps (1) Hart., Nov. Zool. 1896, 154; (2) id., ib. 1897, 161. 



"Bingissi", Tjamba Distr., S. Celebes, Platen. 



"Burong gotollo", Malay for all Ploceidae, Celebes, Meyer h 2. 



Figures and descriptions. Wald. g I; Bartl. VIII; Sharpe f 9; Russ k 1. 



Diagnosis. Head all round blackish brown. 



Distribution. Celebes: — South: Macassar (Wallace ^r 7, Meyer h 2, etc.), Tjamba (Platen 

 g 5 and in Dresd. Mus.), Tempe and Palopo (Weber g 10); Posso Lake, Centr. Cel. 

 (P.& F. Sarasin I 2); West Celebes (Doherty m 2); Minahassa (Meyer h 2, Rosenb. 

 j 1, etc.); Togian (Meyer h 2); South Borneo — Banjermassing (Mottley g 3, g 9), 

 N. W. Borneo (Everett g 7, etc.); Labuan (Mottley etc., i 1, g 6, g 9). 



Adult. Head all round blackish brown, becoming blacker on the throat and breast; re- 

 maining parts brownish hazel, darker below, and upper tail-coverts glossy and redder, 

 abdomen, thighs and under tail-coverts blackish. Wing 51 mm; tail 33; tarsus 16; 

 bill from nostril 8 (Manado, March, 1871: Meyer— C 398). Iris brown; bill bluish; 

 feet and claws light greyish blue (M. /* 2). 



The specimen described is inseparable from some examples of jagwi, proving 

 that we have to do with intergi-ading subspecies in jagori and brunneiceps; if this were 

 not the case, they would not be subspecies, but species. 



Sexes. The sexes are similar. 



Young. General colour wood-brown, rather darker on the mantle and wings, gi'eyer on the 

 head. A few black feathers on the under tail-coverts and crissimi. "Iris brown; 

 bill and feet lead-gi-ey" ($ juv., Tjamba Distr., 27. VI. 78: Platen — C 5378). 



Skeleton (Meyer, Abb. v. Vogelskel. 1894, H, pi. COIVj. 



Length of cranium . . . 23.0 mm 



Greatest breadth of craniimi 12.0 » 



Length of humerus . . . 14.0 » 



Length of ulna .... 16.0 » 



Length of radius .... 13.5 



Length of manus .... 15.0 > 



Length of metacarpus . . 7.0 » 



Length of digitus I . . . 3.0 » 



Length of digitus 11 . . . 6.5 » 



Length of digitus HI . . 2.5 » 



Length of femur . . . . 14.0 » 



Length of tibia . . . . 24.0 » 



Length of fibula .... 8.0 » 



Length of tarso-metatarsus 15.5 rum 



Length of digitus I . . , 14.0 » 



Length of digitus U . . 12.5 >> 



Length of digitus HI . . 19.0 . 



Length of digitus IV . . 14.0 » 



Length of sternum . . . 19.0 » 



Greatest breadth of sternum 10.0 » 



Height of crista stemi . . 6.2 » 



Length of coracoideum . . 13.7 » 



Length of scapula . . . 16.0 » 



Length of clavicula ... 14.5 » 



Length of pelvis .... 17.0 » 



Greatest breadth of pelvis 11.0 » 



Egg. Short oval, white, thick-shelled and chalky: size 14.5 X 12 mm (Tomohon, Minahassa, 

 15. VL 94, P.&F. Sarasin). 



Nest. The nest, which contained the above-mentioned egg, is pendant pear-shaped, the 

 entrance-hole in the side near the top; almost entirely composed of a fine yellowish 

 grass from which the seeds have fallen; a few bits of broad, dead flag-leaf interwoven; 

 greatest external diameters about 200 X 120 mm, walls very thick, except at the 

 bottom (Sarasin Coll). 



The arbitrary denomination of subspecies is a work which both vexes the 

 conscience and gives a lot of literary trouble to him who thus makes a show 

 of knowledge which he does not possess of the racial variation of the species, 



Meyer * Wielesworth, Birds of Celeltes (Nov. 15th, 1S07). 09 



