THE BLACK-BREASTED WEAVER-BIRD. 
361 
there are grassy plains. Mr. Blyth states that it occurs in Arrakan. In 
Pegu I have never failed to meet with it in all suitable localities. In 
Tenasserim, however, according to Mr. Davison, it is confined to the tract 
of country between the Sittang and the Salween rivers. 
Although not yet recorded from any part of the Malay peninsula, it is 
known to occur in Siam, Cochin China and in the island of Java. 
To the north it is common throughout the Indo-Burmese countries, and 
it is found over the whole of India, to the west as far as Sindh and to the 
south as far as Ceylon. 
The Striated Weaver-bird is quite as abundant as the Baya, but, owing 
to its habits, is not so often seen. At all seasons of the year it is a 
bird of the jungles, seldom coming into the neighbourhood of villages 
except in the winter, when it may be seen in the same flocks with Bunt- 
ings and Bay as feeding on grain. In the summer they adhere to grassy 
localities. In April or May they commence to build their nests. The 
structure is suspended from the tips of four or more leaves of elephant- 
grass, which are bound together and incorporated into the nest. It is 
bottle-shaped, but less skilfully built than the nest of the Baya, the tube 
leading to tbe entrance being very short and very often absent altogether. 
The eggs are white and usually three in number. 
339. PLOCEUS BENGALENSIS. 
THE BLACK-BREASTED WEAVER-BIRD. 
Loxia bengalensis, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 305. Ploceus bengalensis, Jerd. B. 
Ind. ii. p. 349 ; Hume, Nests and Eggs, p. 441 ; Bl. B. Burm. p. 92 ; Hume, S. F. 
viii. p. 107 ; Oates, S. F. x. p. 231. 
Description. — Male in summer. Forehead and top of head brilliant 
yellow ; throat, cheeks and ear-coverts white, sullied with brown on the 
latter two parts ; breast and sides of neck black ; lower breast and sides 
of the body pale brownish, with darker central streaks to the feathers ; 
abdomen and under tail-coverts sullied white ; upper neck plain brown ; 
back and scapulars dark brown with whitish edges ; rump and upper tail- 
coverts pale hair-brown ; tail brown, feebly margined lighter ; wings brown, 
margined with yellowish white, except the third, fourth, fifth and sixth 
primaries, which are margined along a portion of their length with bright 
yellow. 
Female in summer and both sexes in winter. Chin and throat white 
tinged with yellow ; a supercilium, a spot at the base of the lower man- 
dible and one behind the ear-coverts yellow ; ear-coverts, head and neck 
