ESTRELDINiE, 357 



The Himalayan Munia. 



Descr, — Above deep brown, blackish on the forehead and sides 

 of the face, all the feathers white shafted ; rump white ; upper 

 tail-coverts black, tipued brown; tail deep black; throat and 

 breast brown black, the throat almost black, the feathers of the 

 breast pale-shafted, and with whitish edges (more or less) ; belly- 

 dull white, with narrow hastate marks of dusky brown ; under tail- 

 coverts and thigh-coverts brown ; the lining of the Avings 

 buff. 



Bill and legs slaty blue ; irides dark brown. Length 41 inches ; 

 extent 6| ; wing 2 ; tail If ; the medial tail feathers are much 

 elongated, exceeding the outermost by § inch. 



This species, which differs chiefly from the last in the lower parts 

 being lineolated, in place of pure white, is found, within our 

 province, only in the Himalayas ; but extends into Assam, parts 

 of Burmah and Malayana ; and is perhaps identical with the birds 

 said to be from the Moluccas, named L. molucca, Lin., and figured 

 PI. Enl. 139 f. 2. 



In the Sikhim Himalayas it ascends to at least 5,000 feet, and is 

 tolerably abundant near cultivated lands. Its nest is of the 

 usual structure, large and loosely made of fine grass, and there 

 are generally five or six white eggs. I found it far from rare 

 on the Khasia Hills, whence it had not been previously 

 sent, and it probably will be found all through the intervening 

 country'; to Mergui (where Blyth obtained it), in suitable 

 localities. 



The next species has the central tail feathers still more lengthen- 

 ed, and Sykes made it the type of his genus Lonchura, but, as 

 already seen, there is a regular gradation in this respect. 



703. Munia Malabar ica, Linnaeus. 



Loxia, apud Linnaeus — Blyth, Cat. 630 — Horsf., Cat. 776 — 

 Jard. and Selby, 111. Orn. 2nd ser. pi. 34— Lox. bicolor, Tickkll, 

 — Lonchura cheet, Sykes, Cat. 110 — Jerdon, Cat. 174 — Chorya, 

 H. in the North — Charchara, in the N. W. P, — Piddariin Southern 

 and Central India — Sar-munia, Beng. — Jinuwayi, Tel. 



