(1026) Uroloncha striata squamicollis.
The Chinese Sharp-tailed Munia.
Uroloncha squamicollis Sharpe, Cat. B. M., xiii, p. 359 (1890) (Szechuan).
Vernacular names. None recorded.
Description. Above paler than_ U. s. acuticauda and with the lower parts even darker in colour and as heavily striated as U s. subsquamicollis. The breast is brighter chestnut than in either of the two preceding races and has better-defined, broader pale edges and well-marked pale shafts; the white rump-band is always much suffused with grey and is lined and mottled with brown; the lower rump is generally a brighter rufous.
Colours of soft parts as in the other races.
Measurements. Wing 50 to 52 mm.; tail 38 to 44 mm.; tarsus 13 to 14 mm.; culmen 10.0 to 11.0 mm.
Distribution. Western China, Eastern Shan States, North Yunnan and South China.
Nidification. Messrs. R. E. Vaughan and K. H. Jones found this Munia breeding at Macao and Canton from April to September and later laying five or six eggs which measure about 16.0 x 10.9 mm. They are said to place their nests in bamboos, bushes and trees, often at a very great height from the ground.
Habits. This Munia is migratory or partially so, leaving its most Northern habitats during the Winter. Otherwise its habits are those of the family.
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