196 Mr. D. Seth- Smith,


The two species that we are concerned with in this paper,

and which are illustrated in the accompanying plate (figs. 1

and 4), are undoubtedly very closely related indeed ; their song

is identical, and the young cannot be distinguished until three

weeks old (Teschemaker), although their actual markings when

adult are very dissimilar. M. flaviprymna* with its sandy-

coloured plumage appears to be a desert form inhabiting the

more interior parts of North-West Australia while M.

castaneithorax is found nearer to the coast, as has been pointed

out by Mr. Teschemaker, and, according to Mr. Payne in his

large experience in trapping these finches, he has never noticed

them to differ in the least from their normal plumage.


I have had altogether nine examples of M. flaviprymna;

the first reached me in the summer of 1904, and was the first

specimen to reach this country alive. Then in 1905, when the

first large batch arrived, I secured four others (on March 21st),

and did not get any more until the present year (1907).


In October 1906, I first noticed that one of my specimens,

flying in a very large open aviary, had commenced to assume

an abnormal phase of plumage, (see figure 2), the throat had

darkened considerably and there were very distinct traces of a

dark pectoral baud. About the same time an example at the

Zoological Gardens developed the same peculiarity, but not, I

believe, to such an extent. On comparing my specimen with

a skin of Munia castaneithorax it was evident that the change

that was taking place was distinctly in the direction of that

species. I may state that there was no example of M.

castaneithorax in the aviary, so it could not have been a hybrid

bred there, but must have been there since the early part of 1905,

and was probably considerably over two years of age. I mention

this because there is a theory that these abnormally marked birds

are hybrids, a theory I find difficult to accept as I shall presently

show.


Early in the present year (1907) I wrote to Messrs. Payne

and Wallace asking if they had any Yellow-rumped finches

which exhibited this peculiar phase of plumage, and they sent


*For a coloured illustration of Munia flaviprymna see Avicidtural Magazine, Vol. III.

N.S.. p. 215.



