20 MALAYAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



specially for the accommodation of the mate I do riot believe, as, 

 though I have watched attentively on several occasions, I never 

 saw them used by either sex. 



I found the lumps of clay, which are stuck inside many of 

 the nests, most frequently in those of the basket-shape, but can 

 form no idea what they can be for. The theory mentioned, 

 though not believed in, by Jerdon, that the birds stick fire-flies 

 on these lumps of mud, so as to light up the inside of the nest by 

 night, is palpably far-fetched ; I never saw, or even heard of, the 

 remains of fire-flies being found in the nests. In my book is the 

 following note : — 



" Kufila Kangsa, Perak, 6th March, 1877. "While Snipe-shoot- 

 ing, I found two curious nests hanging from a tree, at a height 

 of about ten feet from the ground ; they were within a few inches 

 of one another, in shape like two gigantic pears, but with 

 different entrances, the smaller being open below like an inverted 

 basket, complete even to the handle, and made of fresh, green 

 grass, while the other, of dry brown material, though also entered 

 from below, had a long funnel leading to a chamber, in which 

 were four young featherless birds and an addled egg, the latter 

 Sout the size of a Linnet's and white in colour. The tree on 

 which the nests hung was alive with red ants, which most fiercely 

 resented being disturbed." 



During June I saw a large flock of Weaver-birds on some 

 paddy-ground near Kuala Kangsa. They were flitting about, 

 pecking at the grass-seeds, and continually twittering, as one 

 sees Goldfinches doing among the thistles. The heads of the 

 males were golden yellow. 



A young male which I shot on lGth May, while in the act of 

 weaving grass into its nest, was 5 inches in length, irides dark 

 brown, legs flesh-colour, tarsus T 8 y inch, upper parts dull brown, 

 the feathers margined with pale yellowish brown, top of head 

 golden yellow, underparts dull white, throat and face blackish, 

 breast and flauks rufous. The males have the head bright 

 yellow during the breeding-season only ; at other times both 

 sexes have brown heads. 



Munta maja (Linn.). 



