THE WHITE-HEADED MUNIA 
almost the same habits as M. maja except for the fact that it 
docs not seem to congreg^ate into such huge flocks and that 
it is furthermore rather partial to the otitlying islands. 
The young of both species are very much alike and could 
not be identified in the field, Bot!i are brown above and pale 
brown below: they also lack the characteristic white or black 
head. 
Two other species somewhat alike in plumage are quite 
numerous locally and are to be seen on the lawns of the Botanic 
Gardens, These are even rather smaller than the two rnunias 
mentioned above. The upper parts are quite dark brown and 
indeed black on the tail, the throat and breast are dark brown 
or black and the abdomen white or pale grey. Of these two 
birds, the Javan white-breasted munia (Af , hucogaster) has the 
upper parts more or even uniform, the breast quite black and 
the abdomen really white : Hodgson's munia (M. acttticauda) 
has a whitish nunp, conspicuous when the bird f^^ts a few 
paces and the breast scale-like", an effect produced by the 
pale edges of the dark feathers : the abdomen is greyish. 
Yet one more species deserves mention on account of its 
abundance on the island. Broadly speaking the spotted munia 
(M. pinicinlaia) is entirely pale chestnut except on the breast 
and abdomen where this species differs from all the other local 
members of the genus in having these parts white with all the 
feathers broadly edged with chestnut. At a distance of a few 
yards the underparts appear boldly spotted (or irregularly 
barred) brown and white. 
[2H] 
