MUNIA MALABAEICA. G65 



Kattiawar, Guzerat, and Jodhpoor, although it is one of those birds which we miss from Mr. Hume's 

 interesting paper on the birds of the latter region (Str. Feath. 1878, p. 52), it having been evidently driven 

 out of it by the drought of fifteen months which the writer refers to. At the Sambhur Lake it is, according 

 to Mr. Adam, very common. 



Habits. — This little Finch frequents bare open commons, barren land surrounding the salt-lagoons and 

 estuaries of the north and east coasts, as also dry pasture- fields and such-like localities in the interior, &c. It 

 feeds entirely on the ground, rarely alighting on trees ; and congregating in large flocks, often in company with 

 the Finch-Lark, trips about in closely packed little troops. I have seen it during the harvest-time in paddy- 

 fields with M. punctulata and M. striata attacking the ripe grain ; but its usual food consists of various small 

 grass-seeds. Its note is a strong chirrup and the usual plaintive pipe common to these " Finches." When 

 paired, the sexes demonstrate much affection for each other, as on one occasion after shooting a female example 

 I noticed that its mate flew round and round it in great distress, alighting close to it on the ground and 

 piping out a mournful little whistle. During the rainy weather at Christmas I used often to observe flocks of 

 these Munias on the esplanade at Trincomalie, where also numbers of Pipits, Finch-Larks, and small Shore- 

 Plovers collected to feed. When disturbed the Munias would rise in a dense little pack and fly round and 

 round very swiftly until they realighted not far from where they were put up, when they would move along all 

 in the same direction, picking out the seeds from the short turf-grass. 



Jerdon says that this species frequents hedgerows, thickets near cultivation, and groves of trees, often 

 entering gardens, and is met with in the south and in Central India near every village. Mr. Cripps found 

 them in Furreedpore in small parties of five to fifteen in number, frequenting hedgerows and cultivated fields. 

 Col. Sykes likens its cry to cheet, cheet, cheet. 



Acidification. — This Munia breeds in the north of Ceylon during the cool season from December until 

 March, and builds the usual loose large nest of grass, which appears to vary considerably in size, either having 

 a rather protuberant opening at the top, one in the side of the egg-chamber, or two with a dividing dome or 

 roof between them. It is generally placed in a bush about four or five feet from the ground, and often lined 

 with flowering-stems of grasses. 



From Mr. Hume's article on its nesting, contained in his useful work, we glean that this little Finch 

 builds sometimes in various situations, such as a haycock, in the eaves of a verandah, or even in the nest of an 

 Eagle ; and Col. Sykes has frequently found them in possession of the deserted nests of the Common Weaver- 

 bird. Mr. Blewitt writes to Mr. Hume concerning a pair which built in the body of a large Buzzard's nest, 

 which was at the time occupied by a Tawny Eagle (Aquila fulvescens) , and thus describes the circumstance: — 

 "As my man ascended the tree to fetch the Eagle's eggs I saw a pair of the small M. malabarica hopping about 

 from branch to branch near the nest in great anxiety, chirping loudly all the while. Taking the binoculars to 

 look at the birds and their, as it seemed to me, strange movements more closely, I saw one of them suddenly 

 enter and disappear in a small hole in the underpart of the large nest .... Not knowing what the hole 

 could be for, I directed the man to inspect it, when to my astonishment it turned out to be a nest in a nest. 

 The Munias evidently selected that of the Eagle to make their own in, to receive warmth from their mighty 

 companion. From the position of the under nest, the Munias at any time when in it could not have been more 

 than two inches separated from the sitting Eagle." 



Captain Marshall mentions an instance in which he took some eggs of this bird and four of the Common 

 Sparrow from a nest in his verandah, and suggests that the nest had been probably built by the Sparrow. 

 The eggs vary in number from six to twelve ; but sometimes more than one pair lay in the same nest. 

 Theobald, as quoted by Jerdon, found once as many as twenty-five together in different stages of incubation. 

 They are white, like those of other Munias, spotless of course, and smaller than those of any of the foregoing 

 species, as the bird is much smaller in body than they are. The average size is - 6 by - 47 inch. 



4(2 



