CHESTNUT-BREASTED FINCH. 
January. As Mr. McLennan and. I came out of a swamp (where we had been 
wadmg) into long grass we saw a male carryhig grass to a nearly completed 
nest in the grass. The female was inside acting as builder whilst he brought 
the material. The nest, composed of di’y grass, was somewhat spherical in 
shape, and supported in the upper part of the strongly-growing grass. The 
stems of this grass are stiff and easily able to support a fairly heavy nest at 
two to three feet from the ground. The birds were common on the Watson 
River, where they were breeding in April.” 
H. L. Wliite VTote: “King River. 16/11/15. Several small flocks 
coming to water at sprmg up river. Numerous about springs till the rains. 
Crop seeds.” These being IMcLeiman’s notes. 
Campbell reported mider the name Munia assimilis : “ Two cJd- These 
were the only Finches collected on Moa Island (Torres Straits) by Mr. 
McLennan. They resemble assimilis except having hghter coloured (cinnamon- 
buff) upper tail-coverts. Observed several times in families or small flocks 
about the grass flats.” 
As pointed out, Gould described this species before he went to Austraha, 
and, later. Lesson and Reichenbach named pliimage stages of the same form. 
In my “ Reference List ” in 1912 I selected Cairns, Queensland, as the 
type locaUty of Gould and Reichenbach’s names, as these were simply from 
Austraha, and at that time I knew the bird commonly from Cairns. 
However, as Ramsay stated it was abtmdant in Northern New South Wales, 
it seems much more accurate to select New South Wales as the type- 
locahty, as very few, if any, birds could have reached Europe from Cairns 
as early as 1837. 
No subspecies were recognised when I named in 1910 
Munia castaneothorax assimilis. 
“ Differs from Munia castaneothorax (Gould) in having the chestnut band on 
the chest much darker in colour, and the upper tail-coverts rich chestnut- 
brovTi. Wing 55 mm. Eureka, Northern Territory.” 
Then in 1912 in my “ Reference List ” I arranged: 
Munia castaneothorax castaneothorax (Gould). 
Queensland. 
Munia castaneothorax assimilis Mathews. 
Northern Territory. 
Munia castaneothorax gangi Mathews. 
“ Differs from M. c. assimilis m its paler chestnut band, browner head, brighter 
red on the rump, and greener upper tail-coverts. Napier Broome Bay, North¬ 
west Austraha.” 
North-west Austraha. 
199 
