HORSFIELD^S WAXBILL. 
371 
Genus ESTEILDA, Swains. 
347. ESTEILDA PUNICEA. 
HORSFIELD^S WAXBILL. 
Fringilla punicea, Horsf. Trans. Linn. Soc. xiii. p. 160. Estrelda flavidiven- 
tris, Wallace, P. Z. S. 1863, p. 495 ; Wardlaw Ramsay Ibis, 1877, p. 461 ; Htime, 
8. F. viii, p. 107 ; Oates, S. F. x. p. 232, Astrilda amandava (i.)^ Bl. B. 
Burm. p. 93. Estrelda amandava (L.), Oates, S. F. iii. p. 342. Estrilda 
burmannica, Hume, S. F. iv. p. 484 ; Oates, S. F. v. p. 163. 
Description. — Male. Sides of the face, cliiiij throat, breast and sides of 
neck crimson, the two latter parts speckled with white ; sides of the body 
pale red much spotted with white ; belly and vent yellowish red : the 
under tail-coverts vary in colour ; in some, the centres of the feathers are 
whitish tinged with pink, the edges blackish brown and the tips maroon ; 
in others the feathers are uniform blackish brown : forehead and top of 
head greenish, each feather broadly tipped with crimson ; upper surface of 
body pale greenish washed with red ; the rump with short transverse lines 
or elongated spots of white ; upper tail-coverts crimson spotted with white ; 
tail black, the four outer pairs of feathers tipped white ; the upper series 
of small wing-coverts plain brown; the second and third series brown, 
each feather with a terminal spot of white ; quills plain brown, the terti- 
aries with a terminal spot of white. 
Female. Sides of face and neck and upper surface from bill to rump 
hair-brown ; upper tail- coverts dull crimson, generally uniform, but tipped 
with white in some ; tail blackish brown, the two outer pairs of feathers 
with the terminal half of the outer web broadly edged with white ; the 
next two pairs merely tipped with white ; chin, throat, breast and flanks 
greyish yellow ; abdomen and vent saffron-yellow ; wings brown, each of 
the feathers of the tertiaries and greater coverts with a white spot at the 
tip; under tail-coverts same as the abdomen, but paler, and in some 
females a few of the feathers have mesial black streaks. 
Young. Nestlings assume the female plumage as above described. In 
April the change in male birds commences by the assumption of a few red 
feathers over the lores and eyes. By May, the head and breast have 
become red but not completely so, and the abdomen acquires a tinge of 
red. In June, some birds are still very backward, as also a few in J uly ; 
but the majority by this month are in full adult male plumage. In August 
no immature birds are to be seen. 
The adult plumage, when once assumed, is not subject to seasonal variation. 
Bill deep red; the posterior half of culmen black; iris crimson ; eye- 
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