548 Birds of Celebes: Ploceidae. 



^ * 227. MUNIA SUBCASTANEA Hart. 



Doherty's White-headed Munia. 



Munia subcastanea (1) Hart., Nov. Zool. 1897, 161. 



Diagnosis. Like M. pallida, but the back and vmigs darker, hair-brown as against broccoli- 

 brown; the under tail-coverts, concolorous with the lower breast, abdomen, sides, and 

 thighs, dark hazel, much darker than the cinnamon-rufous of the body below of Munia 

 pallida; rump hazel with a gloss of hght sienna, unifoi-m with the upper tail-coverts 

 and outer edges of the rectrices: "iris dark brown; bill bluish gi"ey, commissure and 

 tip corneous": wing 51 mm; tail 39; tarsus 15; bill fi-om nostril 7.5 (rf, type, Dongala, 

 W. Celebes, Aug. 1896: Doherty in the Triug Museum). 



"The skin marked 'Q' is like those of the males, but the rump, upper tail- 

 coverts, and edges of the central rectrices lighter and more yellowish" (Hartert). 



Distribution. West Celebes — Dongala and Tawaya (Doherty). 



The discovery ' of a new Munia in West Celebes with affinities to M. pallida 

 of the South is certainly surprising. Mr. Doherty obtained three specimens 

 only, one of which, the type, Mr. Rothschild has had the kind covulesy to lend 

 us; from this it is easily seen that, though its affinites are with M. pallida, 

 they are two well differentiated species. 



ih228. MUNIA PUNCTULATA (L.). 



Spotted Munia. 



Dr. R. B. Sharpe (Cat. B. XIII, 346 — 354) recognises five races of this species, 

 the form occurring in Celebes being: 



Munia punctulata uisoria (Temm.). 



Munia nisoria (Temm.) (1) Wald., Tr. Z. S. 1872, MJH, 73; (2) W. Bias., J. f. O. 1883, 

 132; (3) Sharpe, Cat. B., XTTT, 1890, 353; (4) M. & Wg., Abh. Mus. Dresd. 1896, 

 Nr. 1, p. 13. 



For further synonymy and references cf. Sharpe 3. 



Adult. Above broccoli-brown, the feathers with wliitish shaft-lines, the terminal margins 

 paler; upper tail-coverts ochraceous; tail greenish drab, greener on the middle 

 feathers; face, ear-coverts, chin and throat umber-chestnut, the shafts paler on 

 face and ear-coverts; under parts cream-white, not ban-ed on the abdomen and 

 thighs, only shghtly so on the under tail-coverts, elsewhere marked with U-shaped bars 

 of rufous brown; under wing-ceverts buff; remiges below, where they rest upon 

 the body, browner buff, elsewhere and tail below duller brown ((^, Macassar, July 

 1895: P.&F. Sarasin). 



"Iris dark brown; feet blackish; maxiUa black, mandible slate-colour" — Doherty, 

 Lombok. 



Female. Resembles the male ($, Lake Posso, Centr. Cel., 15. 11. 95: P.&F. S.). 



Young. Without the chestnut face and throat and without bars on the under i^arts: above 

 uniform broccoh-brown, tail washed with ochraceous; under parts pale isabelUne, 

 darker on the face and sides [-J juv., Pare Pare, S. Cel., 1. \JI1. 95: P.& F. S.y. 



