CHESTNUT-BREASTED FINCH. 
Lonchura castaneothorax castaneothorax Mathews, List Birds Austr., p. 300, 1913. 
Lonchura castaneothorax assimilis Mathews, ib, 
Lonchura castaneothorax a})slcyi Mathews, ib, 
Lonchura castaneothorax gangi Mathew's, ib. 
Lonchura thorpei Mathew'S, Aastral Av. Rec.. Vol. II., i)t. 4, p. 78, Dec. 29th, 1913 ; Fitzroy 
River, North-west Australia. 
Munia assimilis^. L. White, Emu, Vol. X\^., p. 229, 1917 (N.T.); Campbell, ib., Vol. XX., 
p. 64, 1920 (N.Q.). 
Donacola castaneothorax norihi Matliews, Austral Av. Rec., Vol. V., pts. 2-3, p. 40, 
Feb. 21st, 1923: Cairns, North Queensland. 
Donacola castaneothorax castaneothorax Mathews, ib. 
Distribution. Northern Tropical Australia, ranging on to the east into Northern New 
South Wales, and on the west to Napier Broome Bay. 
Adult male. Top of the head and neck greyish-brown, each feather bordered with greyish- 
white, giving a scaled appearance ; mantle and lower back pale chestnut, each 
feather margined with pale lilac ; rump and upper tail-coverts golden chestnut; 
central tail-feathers blackish-brown, margined on the outer web with straw-colour, 
remainder of tail blackish-brown ; wing-coverts and secondaries reddish-chestnut; 
primaries ash-brown margined on the outer w'eb with dull chestnut; lores, sides of 
the face and throat black; the whole chest pinkish-chestnut; a broad black band 
bordering the sides of the cliest and across the low'er chest; belly white ; sides 
of the abdomen, thighs and the under tail-coverts black; under-surface of vnngs 
ash-grey, margined on the inner web with pale chestnut. Eyes brown, feet and 
tarsus leaden blue ; bill bluish-grey. Total length 115 mm. ; culmen 10, wing 57, 
tail 36, tarsus 17. Figured. Collected on Apaley Straits, Melville Island, Northern 
Territory, on the 4th of December, 1911, and is the type of Munia castaneothorax 
apsleyi. 
Adult female. Similar to the adult male. 
Young female. The whole of the upper-parts dark olive-brown, darkest on the head and 
lightest on the rump ; wing-coverts like the back ; secondaries ashy-brown margined 
on the outer web with brownish-buff; primaries ash-brown fringed on the outer 
web with buff ; tail ash-brown, the central pair fringed on both webs with huff, 
tlie outer pairs slightly margined on the outer webs with buff; cheeks olive- 
brown, each feather -with a pronounced white shaft-streak ; tlxroat buffish-white ; 
upper chest brownish-buff; lower chest, belly, sides of the body, flanks and 
under tail-coverts whitish-buff; under-surface of wings ash-grey, bordered on the 
the inner web with buff. Figured. Collected in Queensland. 
L!ggs. Four to eight eggs form the clutch, usually six. A clutch of seven eggs taken 
at South Grafton, Clarence River, New South Wales, on the 10th of March, 1900, is 
of a pure white. Ovals in shape, rather pointed at the smaller end. Surface of 
shell fine and smooth and devoid of gloss. 16 by 11 mm. 
Nest. A large oval structure, with a long spouted entrance at one end. Composed of 
dried grasses, and chiefly the long flat stems (ribbon-like) of the blady grass so 
common on the coasts of New South Wales and Queensland. Usually placed in 
a mass of blady grass or other tall grow'th of weeds, vines, small bush, etc., and 
always within a few feet of the ground. Dimensions over all: 6 to 8 inches long, 
with a circumference of 15 inches at the widest part. 
Breeding-months. Vary considerably, but the most usual are July to December (to April). 
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