186 Ornithological Notes, chiefly on some birds [No. 3, 



country near Chanda. Jerclon's description of its habits, as usual, is 

 excellent. 



757. M. cantillailS, Jerdon. I only came upon this bird 

 once in a wild tract of grass with scattered bushes, about 50 miles 

 west of Chanda. Over a small tract of country extending for a few 

 miles along the road it abounded, but no where else. I did not 

 observe any other Mirafra besides these two. 



758. Ammomanes phcenidira, Franklin. Extremely 

 abundant in the open country about Nagpur and Chanda. I have occa- 

 sionally seen it perch. 



Family Ploceid^. 



Dr. Jerdon refers to the occurrence of Ploceus hjpoxantlius at Ran- 

 goon and Thayet Myo. I also shot it at Mandelay (Ava). 



765. Estrelda formOSa, Lath. I met with this rather scarce 

 bird in the Chanda forest and again on the Pranhita near Ahiri, always 

 in or near forest. 



The only other Estreldince collected in Central India were the com- 

 mon E. amandava, Munia undulata and M. Malabar tea. 



Family Fringillid^:. 



716. Emberiza Huttoni, Blyth. I obtained this bird both 

 at Chanda and Nagpur, and Mr. Fairbank informs me that it is com- 

 mon on rocky hill sides near Ahmednuggur. It is highly probable 

 that it has been mistaken for E. hortulana. 



Dr. Jerdon, Birds of India, p. 380, mentions my having shot Embe- 

 riza rutila, Pallas, in Upper Burma. This is a mistake. I shot the 

 only specimen obtained in Pegu at the base of the Arracan hills, west 

 of Henzada. 



721. Euspiza melanocephala, Gm. I found this bird 



much less common about Nagpur than the next species. Jerdon does 

 not describe the female. It has -the head above including the ear- 

 coverts and back brownish grey with dark mesial streaks to the fea- 

 thers, very faint on the head ; rump grey, mixed with yellow, wing- 

 coverts, quills and tail feathers dusky, edged with fawn colour, the 

 tertiaries and greater coverts very broadly so ; chin, throat and breast 

 pale fawn colour, abdomen yellowish white, under tail coverts bright 

 yellow. Bill horny, paler beneath, feet brown. 



