CHESTNUT-EARED FINCH. 
close to where men are working. When we were baling water for the camels 
they frequently perched on the sides of the dishes to drink.” 
Wliitlock, from the Pilbarra Goldfield, wTote: “ Fairly common, but 
never found far from water. In particular it haunts the neighbourhood of 
Avells provided Avith automatically-fed sheep troughs. Old nests of this species 
are much in evidence.” 
Gibson, from betAveen KalgoorHe and Eucla, noted: “ Several noted 
round a rock-hole near the western edge of the plains. Tliis was the only place 
Avhere they Avere seen, their habitat being a little further to the north, Avhere 
they are found in thousands round the rock-holes.” 
Carter noted that these Finches Avere abmidant both on Dirk Hartog Island 
and the Peron peninsula, in the vicinity of the AveUs and sheep-trougliing. 
Whitlock then wrote from BarroAV Island : “I Avas surprised to meet Avith 
this Finch, which I had liitherto considered inseparable from fresh Avater. 
It Avas very imcommon, however, and I met Avith only two small parties. I 
kncAV two were nesting near my camp, but for a long time they baffled me. 
At length I found the nest accidentally by observing the female fly from a 
bunch of seaweed attached to the extremity of a long mangrove branch. My 
boatman had actually fastened a mooring rope to tins limb Avithout seeing the 
nest. The nest Avas merely an accidental caAdty m the seaAveed left by high 
tides; it was profusely lined AAdth Doves’ feathers and contained five eggs, 
almost hatched.” 
This very variable and common little species Avas not subdiAdded into races 
until I prepared my “ Reference List ” in 1912, when I charaeterized five races, 
placing them under the genus name Zonceginthus (a very poor location) thus : 
Zonosginthus castanotis castanotis (Gould). 
New South Wales, Victoria, South Austraha. 
Zonceginthus castanotis mouJci Mathew^s. 
“Differs from Z. c. castanotis in the under-surface coloration, having more 
black on the breast and paler on the flanlcs. Rockhampton, Queensland.” 
Queensland. 
Zonceginthus castanotis wayensis MatheAvs. 
“ Paler than Z. c. castanotis, AAdth the bfil vermilion; in that race the bill is 
orange. East Murchison, West Australia.” 
Mid Westralia. 
Zonceginthus castanotis mungi Mathews. 
“ iluch paler throughout than any other race of Z. castanotis. Mungi, 
North-Avest Australia.” 
Interior of North-Avest Australia. 
Zonceginthus castanotis alexandrce MatheAvs. 
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