AUSTRALIAN FINCPIES 



401 



Family Ploceidw. 

 Back of tarsus entire, not broken into a series of scales. 

 Nostrils placed high in the bill nearer to the ridge than to the 

 gape, Africa, Southern Asia, Malay Archipelago to Australia 

 and Islands of West Pacific. 



Weaver Birds. Australian Finches. 



Key to the Genera. 



I. Tail shorter than wing, only slightly rounded, the two 

 central feathers not produced beyond the rest. 

 Nasal orifice nearly or quite hidden by nasal plumes. 



1. Wing pointed; the distance between the tips of the 



primaries and secondaries at least as great as 



the length of the tarsus. 

 Tail not projecting beyond the wings to a distance 



as great as the length of the tarsus. Staganopleura. 



Tail projecting beyond the wings by a distance 



much greater than the length of the tarsus. Zonseginthus. 



2. Wing more rounded ; the distance between the 



tips of the primaries and secondaries less than 

 the length of the tarsus. 



a. Bill pointed, slender, culmen nearly as long as 



tarsus. Emblema. 



b. Bill stouter, culmen at most four-fifths length 



of tarsus. 

 Upper and under tail-coverts reaching nearly 



to end of tail. Tgeniopygia. 



Upper and under tail-coverts falling short of 

 end of tail by more than the length of the 

 tarsus. Stictoptera. 



IT. Tail shorter than wing, the two central feathers 

 produced and rather pointed. Nostrils as in I. 



1. The tail still wedge-shaped, the difference between 



the outer and centre feathers not so great 

 as the length of the tarsus, 

 a,. Bill swollen and rounded, culmen strongly arched. 

 Tall not reaching beyond wing by distance as 

 great as the length of the tarsus with the 

 middle toe and claw. Munia. 



Tall exceeding the wing by at least above length. Bathilda. 

 b. Bill more slender and straighter. ^gintha. 



2. The tail graduated, the difference between the outer 



and central feathers greater than the length of 



the tarsus. Aidemosyne. 



III. Tail longer than wing, the two central feathers produced to 



a fine thread-like point. Nostrils as in I. Poephila. 



IV. Tail longer than wing, the central feathers not produced 



to points. 

 Nostrils exposed, not entirely hidden by the feathers 



at the base of the forehead. Neochmia. 



Nostrils hidden by plumelets at base of forehead. Estrilda. 



The nests of all the Finches are dome-shaped and remark- 

 ably bulky, composed of grasses with long spout-like entrances, 

 and placed in saplings or bushes. Clutch five or six white eggs. 

 Period of incubation eleven to fifteen days. 



2-c 



