Birds of Celebes: Ploceidae. 



547 



breast; back and wings deep broccoK-brown , witb sligbtly paler terminal edgings; 

 rump and upper tail-coverts dark glossy maroon, tbe longest upper tail-coverts 

 much lighter, under tail- coverts glossless maroon; lower breast, under wing- 

 coverts, sides, flanks, abdomen, and thighs cinnamon-rufous {(^, Macassar, 

 15. VI. 95: Sarasin Coll.). 



Another male is pui-er wliite on neck and jugulum. 

 Adult female. Like the male, but has the nape and the hind neck more strongly shaded 

 with brown (2, Macassar, 12. VII. 95, with nest and eggs: P. &F. S.j. 



Eggs. 5; ovate; wliite; rather thick -shelled; circa 15.5 X '2 mm (Macassar, 12. VTI. 95: 

 P.&F. Sarasin). 



Nest. The nest, in which the above-mentioned eggs were found, was situated among shrubs. 

 In shape a round oval, ca. 1 6 X 1 2 cm, the entrance at the side, rather large, diam 

 5 cm. It is built of pieces of flag-leaf, roots, stalks, and grass, the last forming the 

 bulk of the material, and of it the entrance and interior are made (P.&P. S.). 



Distribution. Lombok (Wallace 1, 3, Doherty and Everett 5); Flores (Wallace 5); Celebes 

 — South (Platen 2, P.&F. Sarasin 4, Everett 5). 



For a long time it was uncertain whether this Munia was really a Celebe- 

 sian species. It was first mentioned as an inhabitant of the island by Finsch 

 (a 1) and then by Gray (hi), but upon what evidence we do not know. Then 

 Rosenberg, whose remarks relate principally to the Gorontalo District, recorded 

 it as abundant, but he seems to have only taken the name from Gray, and it 

 is probable that he had the common Munia formosana in view, a species he does 

 not mention. Dr. Platen bought some living specimens of M. pallida at Ma- 

 cassar and believed from their cheapness that they were not imported. The 

 first positive proof of its occurrence in a wild state in Celebes was provided 

 by the Sarasins who found it near Macassar "everywhere in the rice-fields 

 abundant with the Java Sparrow and other Munias". This was in June and 

 July, when they obtained the above- described nest and eggs and four adults. 

 Later in September they wrote : "The birds seem to be gone away again, at 

 least we have not remarked any for a long time. At the time of the rice 

 harvest they were in large numbers in Macassar". Mr. Everett, however, still 

 got a female at Macassar and another at Bulekomba on the south coast after 

 September 16'\ 



This species is easily distinguishable from the common Brown Munia, 

 M. formosana, by its white or whitish head. The Celebesian M. subcastanea Hart, 

 seems to be most nearly allied to it, but the chestnut under surface and rump 

 of M. subcastanea present a striking difference. 



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