m^m.

'fK''!il! t''.

'•i:

•r'-'v''

FORTHE PEOPLE

FOR EDVCATION

FOR SCIENCE

LIBRARY

OF

THE AMERICAN MUSEUM

OF

NATURAL HISTORY

A Key to tbe Birds of tbc
Lower Yangtse Valley,

WITH POPULAR DESCRIPTIONS OF THE SPECIES
COMMONLY SEEN.

BY

N. GIST GEE, SoocHOW University

AND

LACY I. MOFFETT, Kiangyin.

Shanghai :

SHANGHAI MERCURY LIMITED, PRINT.

1917.

V3-1530feO-Sct^^

ERRATA.

Page 4 line 42 — "Gavidae" should read Gaviidae.
,, 7 ,, 36— do. do.

,, 5 ,, 8 — "Threskiornithidae" should read

Ibididae.
„ 23 ,, 5— do. do.

,, 22 ,, 13— " Mesophoyx " should read

Mesaphoyx.
,, 27 ,, 36 — "Nettopus"shouldreadNettapus.
,, 40 ,, 41 — "hights" should read thighs.
,,52 ,, 13— "Blandford's" should read

Blandfoi'di.

,,52 ,, 18 — After word "claws" insert —
yellow.

,,65 ,, 2 — "japonica"shouldreadjaponicus.

,, 56 ,, 18 — "two are found in China" should
read about twenty are found
in China.

,, 57 ,, 13 — "outer" should read central,

,,65 ,, 39 — "jouvi" should read Jouyi.

,,67 ,, 23 — Paragraph beginning "The dis-
tinguishing mark" should
read as follows : — The dis-
tinguishing mark of the
species is that "the lesser
wing coverts are grey like the
greater and median wing
coverts instead of being
mottled with brownish buff
and black like the back."

,, 70 ,,'-24 — "Helodromus" should read

Helodromas.
,,77 ,, 40 — "Squaterola squaterola" should

read Squatarola squatarola.
,,85 ,, 2 — "Hydropogne" should read

Hyioprogne.

IV ERRATA.

Page 92 between lines 11 and 12 insert Cueulus
mici'opterua, Gould.

,, 104 line 35 — " bracyotus " should read
brachyotus.

,, 109 ,, 30— After the word "the" insert-
wing.

,, 116 ,, 25 — "winter visitant" should read

resident.

,, 132 ,, 34 — "this bird" etc. omit entire

line, as identification was

p^ ^jtA,c«>'**^-'fct*— i*- At--<. wrong. Insert Wliite-throated

.nic k 4.*" i'.^^-b; I^o-ughing Thrush (D.

\(^\% .^TTTW*- »Cc-a. -V--^^ albigularis), marked by a

^ &-a^TTi-L.-^t.f)t£Ct»uJo white throat and more of an
I olive cast to the upper parts,

Ou>^ '>*.<*=♦■ <x (J»jB«r»**^S2£o- is a west China species, which
V >.. i.»w, has been taken once in the
summer on Mokansan.
,, 134 ,, 38— " tin " should read tint.
,, 150 ,, 38 — " Myiophonous " should read
Myiophoneus.

,, 156 ,, 9 — "sueccia" should read sueccica.
,, 157 ,, 34 — " TFerns " should read TFrgns,
,, 159 ,, 23 — delete (Locustella ochotensis
(Midd) )

,, 216 ,, 35 — " Tristam's " should read
Tristram's.

,, 216 ,, 36— " tristami " should read
tristrami.

A KEY TO THE BIRDS

OF THE

LOWER YANGTSE VALLEY

BY

N. GIST GEE, SOOCHOW UNIVERSITY

AND

LACY I. MOFFETT, KIANGYIN.

INTRODUCTION.

China, judged from the standpoint
of its bird population falls into three
great regions — North, West and South.
The Yangtse Eiver fornas a convenient
dividing line between the North and
South, while the Western zone
includes Thibet and the western part of
Szechuan Province down to Ichang.

The Northern zone has about 40
species of birds peculiar to itself, the
Western zone has about 60, and the
Southern zone has about 150, making
a total of approximately 250 ' birds
peculiar to China.

In addition to these, there are about
550 species found in China and also in
other parts of the world. Of these,
some 300 occur in the Palearctio
Eegion, which covers Europe and Asia
north of a line skirting the Himalayas
and the Yangtse ; while about 250
species are common to China and
Southern Asia and are not to be found
elsewhere.

( 2 )

This total of about 800 birds for all
China is based on the list printed by
Pare David in 1877. A number of
doubtful species were admitted to his
list which have been since rejected,
on the other hand a few new
ones have been added, so the total
remains substantially the same. In
the present state of the ornithology
of China more exact figures would
be difficult to give, but these round
numbers may be accepted as a working
basis until further data are obtained.

The Yangtse Valley, forming the
boundary line between the Northern
and Southern zones, is a most
interesting field in which to study the
birds of China. Being on the border
line, many birds from both zones
occur. Our winter visitants come
down to escape the Arctic cold which
settles over their nesting homes during
the winter ; while many of the sub-
tropical birds reach this as the limit of
their northern migration.

In 1891, Mr. F. W. Styan published
a list of 359 birds occuring in the
Yangtse Basin, between Hankow and
the sea, which he classified as
follows : —

Breeders ; Eesident ... 90
Summer

Visitants 52 ... 142
Non-breeders ; Winter

VisitantslOl
Migrants... 97

Strays 11

Doubtful... 8 ... 217

Total 359

In 1894 and 1899, Mr. Styan added

a number of other species to this list.
A revision of these lists was

published in 1912 in the Journal of

( 3 )

the North China Branch of the Eoyal
Asiatic Society, in which a number of
species were added, bringing the total
species now recorded in this region
up to about half of all known in the
whole of China.

It is our purpose in the descriptions
which follow to notice only the ones
of this number which are likely to be
met with by the ordinary observer of
bird life.

No originality is claimed for these
notes, they are written with one
purpose only, to give a popular
description by which the common
birds may be readily identified by the
bird lover who has neither time nor
facilities for making a more scientific
study.

The only full description of Chinese
birds in print is an old French work
by Pere David COisieux de la Chine,
Paris 1877) which is now very rare
and difficult to obtain. To the tech-
nical scientist there are many
authorities available, but to the
ordinary student and lover of birds,
most of these are entirely inaccessible.

The greatest lack in ornithological
literature of China is not the scientific
descriptions of species — perhaps few
remain yet to be described — but the
sort of careful popular study that has
taught us so much of the intimate
personal ways of the birds of America
and England. We must be able to
identify a bird at least by some name
before we can study its habits success-
fully. If these notes help to make
such identification easier, and such
study more general, they will have
accomplished their purpose.

The system of classification adopted
is that of Gadow as modified by Dr. F.

( 4 )

H. Knowlton in his Birds of the World
(New York, 1909). Sub-orders and
sub-families have been omitted except
where they seemed necessary for clear-
ness. Dr. Knowlton's work together
with that of Dr. F. M. Chapman
(Handbook of Birds of Eastern North
America, New York, 1912) have both
been largely used in preparing the
descriptions of orders and families. Dr.
C. W. Eichmond has also given us
many helpful suggestions as to the
systematic side of the notes. While
permission has been secured from these
authorities to make use of their works,
no quotation marks have been used,
and they are in no sense responsible
for the form in which the statements
appear.

In the descriptions of individual
species we are very much indebted to
the very careful notes on Chinese birds
made by the late Dr. Paul D. Bergen,
the manuscript copy of which he very
kindly turned over to us when he had
to leave China on account of his health.
We have revised most of these and
have compared our final descriptions
with others or checked them over with
the skins where these were available.

We have also had access to many
other standard works on birds of the
other parts of the world and have
tried to make the errors as few as
possible. If, however, any mistakes
occur which would mislead in the
identification of the birds listed we
will appreciate having them pointed
out to us.

CLASSIFICATION.
ORDER.— C0LYM81F0RMES, Diving Birds.
Family. — Gavidae, Loons.
Family. — Podicipedidae, Grebes.

( 5 )

ORDER.— CICONIIFORMSS, Stork - like
Birds.

Family. — Pelecanidae, Pelicans.

Family. — Phalacrocoracidae, Cor-
morants.

Family. — Ardeidae, Herons.

Family. — Oiconiidae, Storks.

Family. — Threskiornithidae, Ibises.

Family. — Plateleidae, Spoonbills.

ORDER.— ANSERIFORMES, Goose - like
Birds.

Family. — Anatidae, Swans, Geese
and Ducks.

Sub-family. — Cygninae, Swans.

Sub-family. — Anserinae, True Geese.

Sub-family. — Anatinae.Eiver Ducks.

Sub-family. — Fuligulinae.Sea Ducks.

Sub-family. — Merginae, Mergansers.

ORDER.— FALCONIFORMES, Falcon-like
Birds.

Family. — Falconidae, Falcons.

Family. — Buteonidae, Kites, Eagles,
Hawks, etc.

Sub-family. — Pandioninae, Ospreys.

Sub- family. — Milvinae, Kites.

Sub-family. — Aquilinae, Eagles.

Sub-family. — Vulturinae, Vultures.

Sub- family. — Circinae, Harriers.

Sub-family. — Buteoninae, Buzzards.

Sub-family. — Accipitrinae, Sparrow
Hawks.

ORDER.— GALLIFORMES, Fowl-like Birds.

Family. — Turnicidae,Bustard Quails.

Family. — Phasianidae, Pheasants,
Quails.

Sub-family. — Perdicinae, Old World
Quails and Partridges.

Sub-family. — Phasianinae, Pheas-
ants.

ORDER.-GRUIFORMES, Crane - like
Birds.

Family. — Eallidae, Bails.

Family. — Gruidae, Cranes.

Family. — Otidae, Bustards.

( 6 )

ORDER.— CHARADRIIFORMES, Plover-like
Birds.

Family. — Charadriidae, Plovers,
Snipe, Curlews, Lapwings.

Family, — Glareolidae, Pratincoles.

Family. — Jacanidae, Jacanas.

Family. — Laridae, Gulls and Terns.

Sub-family. — Larinae, Gulls.

Sub-family. — Sterninae, Terns,

Family. — Columbidae, Doves and
Pigeons.

ORDER.— CUCULIFORMES, Cuckoo-like
Birds.

Family. — Cuculidae, Cuckoos.

ORDER. -CORACIIFORMES, Koller-like
Birds.

Family. — Coraciidae, Eollers.

Family. — Alcedinidae, Kingfishers.

Family. — Meropidae, Bee-eaters.

Family. — Upupidae, Hoopoes.

Family. — Strigidae, Owls.

Family. — Caprimulgidae, Goat-suck-
ers.

Family. — Micropodidae, Swifts.

Family. — Picidae, Woodpeckers.

ORDER.— PASSERIFORMES, Sparrow-like
Birds.

Family. — Alaudidae, Larks.

Family. — Motacillidae, Wagtails and
Pipits.

Family. — Enicuridae, Forktails.

Family. — Timeliidae, Babbling

Thrushes.

Family. — Pycnonotidae, Bulbuls.

Family. — Muscicapidae, Flycatchers.

Family. — Turdidae, Thrushes.

Family. — Cinclidae, Dippers.

Family. — Troglodytidae, Wrens.

Family. — Sylviidae, Warblers.

Family. — Regulidae, Kinglets.

Family. — Hirundinidae, Swallows.

Family. — Campephagidae, Minivets.

Family. — Dicruridae, Drongos.

Family. — Ampelidae, Waxwings.

( 7 )

Family. — Laniidae, Shrikes.

Family. — Sittidae, Nuthatches.

Family. — Paridae, Titmice.

Family. — Paradoxornithidae, Crow-
tits.

Family. — Oriolidae, Orioles.

Family. — Corvidae, Crows.

Family. — Sturnidae, Starlings.

Family. — Zosteropidae, Silver Eyes.

Family. — Certhiidae, Creepers.

Family. — Ploceidae, Weaver Birds.

Family. — Fringillidae, Finches,
Sparrows, etc.

ORDER, COLYMBIFORMES. THE LOONS
AND GREBES.

Birds of this group are all markedly
aquatic, duck-like birds, of medium or
large size with moderately long necks,
long sharp pointed bills, usually strong
but small wings, and webbed or lobed
toes.

The order is divided into two
families : — The Loons (Gavidae) and
the Grebes (Podicipedidae.)

Loons are distinguished by having
the hind toe on a level with the other
toes, which are united by a web.
They have a tail of 18 or 20 short
stiff feathers.

In the Grebes,, the hind toe is raised
above the level of the others, and all
the toes are provided with lateral
lobes. The tail is usually so reduced
as to be indistinguishable though never
really absent.

Famliy, Gavidae, Loons or Divers.

Loons have four toes tipped with a
broad nail, the front three fully webbed.
They are very largely aquatic, visiting
the land only to nest. Their food
consists of fish, which is procured by
diving, at which they are perhaps the

( 8 )

most expert of all the birds. Loons
have strong wings, and although they
rise from the water with difficulty,
when once under way their flight is
exceedingly swift and straight.

The sexes are alike in plumage,
although there is considerable dif-
ference between the summer and winter
dress.

Four of the five known species of
Loons range over the northern portion
of the northern hemisphere, and occur
in China, the remaining species being
confined to the Pacific coast of North
America. Only one species is reported
from the Yangtse Valley.

EEDTHEOATED DIVEE,
OE LOON.

GAVIA STELLATA (pONTOPPIDON).
(Gavia Septentrionalis L.)

Description. — Length, 28 inches.

Bill, horn color, straight and sharp.
Legs, brownish green. Forehead,
crown, and nape, dark gray, mottled
light gray ; sides of the neck, blue
gray, also mottled.

In summer the throat has a
triangular reddish brown spot, which
gives the bird its popular name. This
spot usually disappears in winter.

The throat, breast, and abdomen,
are white ; and the back is black
spotted with white.

The mottled crown and forehead is
the distinguishing mark of this Loon
at all seasons of the year.

Distribution. — Europe, America, and
Asia.

Frequently seen along the central
China coast and inland, during the
migrating season, it comes south only

( 9 )

for the winter, and breeds in the
circumpolar regions.

It has been taken in Fokien, and the
coast provinces northward, and David
reports it in western China.

The note is a loud, wild, melancholy
cry, which has been spelled, " kakera,
kakera."

Family, Podlcipedidae, The Grebes.

Grebes have four toes, tipped with
a broad nail, and furnished with lobate
webs. They are mainly aquatic, rarely,
if ever, venturing on land, where they
are almost helpless. Grebes dive with
great rapidity, and often conceal
themselves by swimming with only the
tip of the bill above water. They feed
largely on fish, which are pursued and
caught under water. Unlike many
other water birds, they do not use the
wings in swimming, but depend entire-
ly on their feet.

About 30 different species of Grebes
are recognized throughout the world.
China has four species, of which one is
resident in the Yangtse Valley, and
two others are winter visitants.

EASTEEN LITTLE GREBE.

COLTMBUS PHILIPPENSIS, BONN.
(Podiceps Minor.)

Description. — Length nine and one
half inches.

Bill, black with white tip, and
greenish yellow spots at the hinges.
Iris yellow. Legs blackish green.

Crown, nape and back dark brown,
showing a greenish tinge in winter.
The sides of the head are rufous, the
chin is black in summer and white in

( 10 )

winter and the rest of the underparts
are light silver gray.

The wings are brownish black, and
the tail almost lacking.

Immature birds lack the rufous on
their heads during the first winter,
showing a mixed gray instead. Adults
of both sexes have the rufous much
brighter in breeding plumage.

The small size readily distinguishes
this Grebe from any other China
species, the next smaller being four
inches longer.

Distribution. — Eastern Asia. This
Grebe occurs generally in China,
wherever reedy lakes or swamps afford
suitable feeding ground. It is
resident, and very common in the
Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — The nest is a rough
truncated cone of reeds and grass,
loosely attached to standing reeds,
but floating in the water, usually near
the edge of a swampy pool.

The eggs, four to eight in number,
are dull white when fresh, but are
soon stained to a dirty brown by the
nesting material.

They are bluntly ovate in shape,
the two ends being almost equal.

The bird usually covers the eggs
with the nesting material when leaving
them, making the nest look like a mass
of half decomposed, tangled reeds,
floating in the water.

Notes. — This little Grebe lives in the
water and gets its food from it, rarely
flying unless forced to do so. It takes
a mixed diet of small fish and other
aquatic life. When startled they can
disappear almost instantly under water,
frequently coming up far to one side
among reeds or other cover where they

( 11 )

are difficult to discover. The local
Chinese name for them is " water
ghost " , or " s-wu-lu " , given because
of their seeming power of mysterious
disappearance.

THE GREAT CRESTED GREBE.

COLYMBUS CRISTATUS L.
(Podiceps Cristatus (L.) )

Description. — Length 22 inches.

Bill, red at the base and dark on
top, with a horn colored tip. Feet
and legs, greenish.

There is a long reddish-brown crest
and a ruff of the same color on the
neck. The sides of the neck and nape
are yellowish-brown, lores nearly white.
The back is dark irridescent brown.
The throat and upper breast are tinged
reddish-brown. The abdomen is sil-
very grey. The secondaries are white,
the tertiaries buff and the wing a
dusky black.

The female has a smaller crest.
The head and neck are reddish brown.
Breast white in the center, with grey
sides, sometimes washed with yellow.
Her legs are orange.

" The distinguishing mark of both
sexes are the lores which are nearly
white at all seasons."

" Immature birds have no crest or
ruff and are dark ashy brown above,
white below ; secondaries and lower
scapulars white as in adults."

Distribution. — Europe, Australia,
Africa, and Asia. In China it is com-
mon generally in suitable localities. It
winters in the lower Yangtse Valley,
preferring the larger and more open
bodies of water. It breeds in the

( 12 )

North, also in the British Isles,
India, and Australia.

Notes. — " The habits of the grebe,
when on the water, are similar to
those of the diver. It is adapted to
swimming and diving. It feeds on
frogs, fish, water-beetles, and other
small aquatic creatures. When alarmed,
it sinks its body deeper and deeper
into the water and if pursued or in
danger, seeks to escape by diving.
It makes little use of its wings except
when migrating. At most times it is
a silent bird, but in breeding season
utters a harsh, grating cry."

The Eared Grebe (Colymbus auritus)
also occurs, but is rare.

ORDER.— CICONIIFORMES, STORK-LIKE
BIRDS.

This order is distinguished by
having all the toes, including the hind
one, connected by a web.

Family, Pelecanldae, The Pelicans.

Bill long and broad with hawk-like
hook at tip ; a large gular pouch ; lores
bare. The flight of the Pelican is strong
but leisurely, six or seven wing-strokes
being followed by a short sail, all
members of the flock flapping and
sailing in unison.

Pelicans are gregarious, and nest in
large colonies.

They feed on fish, for which some
species plunge from the air, while others
scoop up small fry with their pouches
while swimming.

Of the twelve known species, only
one is likely to be met with on the
China coast.

( 13 )
SPOTTED-BILL PELICAN.

PELECANUS PHILIPPENSIS (gM.)

Description. — Length 57 inches,
female shghtly smaller. Bill, yellow
with large bluish-black spots on the
upper mandible and some black on the
lower one. There is a large dull
purple gular pouch, spotted with black.
Eyelids and skin around the eyes
yellow. Iris, yellowish-white. Legs
and feet very dark brown.

In winter, the great part of the
plumage is white. There is some
pinkish washing on the lower back
and under parts. The crown and neck
feathers are frizzled. There is a slight
crest and a ridge of longer brownish
feathers down the back. The wings
are marked with dark brown and the
tail with light brown.

Young birds, and adults during the
summer, lack the pink washing and
show some brown on the under parts.

Distribution. — Eastern Asia, winter-
ing from the Yangtse Valley south to
India.

Family, Phalacrocoracidae, Cormorants.

The bill of the Cormorant is narrow
with a hawk-like hook at the tip.
There is no gular pouch and the lores
are bare.

As a rule Cormorants are maritime,
but they also frequent bodies of fresh
water near the coast. Their flight is
strong and straight like the ducks, but,
except when migrating, is generally not
far above the surface of the water.

They feed on fish, which are pursued
and caught under water. The family

( 14 )

embraces two genera, with over 40
species, scattered over all parts of the
world. Only one species is common
on the central China coast.

THE COEMOEANT.

PHALACROCOEAX CAEBO (l.)

Description. — Length 35 inches.

Bill, yellow-brown, Legs, black. Iris
green. Bare throat yellow. There is
a bare space on each side of the throat
extending behind the gape.

A short crest. Plumage in general
black, mixed with white on the neck,
and irridescent on the back and wings.
Wing coverts and scapulars bronze-
brown margined with black.

Young birds have plumage mostly
brown or dusky.

Distrihutioyi. — Cosmopolitan, occur-
ring in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia,
and North America. Eesident and
common on the coasts of China, and in
the Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — These birds usually
select elevated situations for their nests.
They choose the tops of lofty clifts, or
high trees; failing these, they may build
in low trees in marshy districts, or even
in a bed of rushes. The nest which
is large, is composed of sticks or sea-
weeds, heaped up to a considerable
height. It is lined with finer grass.

' The eggs, small in proportion to the
size of the bird, are of a dull, pale bluish
or greenish-white color. Three, four,
or five or even sometimes six are laid.'

The 3'oung bird feeds from its
parents' crop by thrusting its head
into the parents' mouth.

( 15 )

Notss. — The Chinese have domestic-
ated this bird and make it serve the
very useful part of fish catcher. They
place a ring made of some material
around the necli of the bird in order to
prevent it from swallowing the fish.
They are trained to come back to the
boat when the pouch is full and the
boatman turns them upside down and
pushes the fishes out. Stories are told
of large catches, but the writer has
never seen any fish of more than a
few inches caught by them.

Family, Ardeldae, Herons.

The Herons form a relatively com-
pact and generally well-known group.
They have long legs ; four toes always
on the same level, and the claw of the
middle toe has a comb-like edge on the
inner side. The body is thin and
compressed, the neck long, and the bill
long, pointed and straight. The lores
and a space about the eyes are bare.
The wings are large and rounded, and
in general the plumage is soft and loose.
The pecuHar powder-down patches on
the rump, abdomen, and elsewhere, are
always present. These with the comb-
like edge of the middle toe nail form the
distinguishing characteristics of the
family.

Generally speaking Herons are gre-
garious, the Bitterns being an exception.
Herons fly with their folded neck
drawn in between their shoulders,
and the feet stretched straight out
behind.

There are about 100 species of
Herons, of which China has 17, all but
three of which reach the Yangtse
Valley.

( 16 )
GEEY HERON.

AEDEA CINEEEA (l.)

Description. — Length 36 inches.

Bill yellow. Legs greenish-yellow.
Iris yellow. ' Crest bluish-black.
Uaetof iiSH»te slstt% g*^. Forehead,
cheeks, and neck white, the latter
streaked with bluish-grey below and
terminating in long white feathers.
Underparts greyish-white,' with a
bluish-black streak down the sides of
the abdomen.

In immature birds, the crown and
forehead are slate grey.

Distribution. — Europe and most of
Asia. Resident in the Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — This bird builds a
capacious nest in large trees, a whole
colony sometimes occupying one
tree. Usually two broods are raised
in one season.

The nests are built near the tops of
the trees in well protected places, and
where the heronry is well placed and
safeguarded, the birds return from
year to year to it. As a rule, the nests
are bulky, rudely built, platform-like
structures, often a foot and a half to
two feet in diameter. They are built
of sticks and weeds, lined with leaves
or other soft materials.

The usual number of eggs in a
clutch is three, though four and
even sometimes five are said to bo
found. They are of a pale dull green
color.

Notes. — It feeds chiefly on frogs
and small fish. It has a deep,
sonorus call note which is frequently
heard as the bird passes overhead.

( 17 )
POND HEEON.

ti;^

ARDEOLA BACCHUS (bP.)

Description. — Length 19 inches.

Bill, base blue, middle yellow, tip
black. Legs yellow. Iris golden yellow.
Pf V3are skin about the eyes greenish. _.

*y Back groonion; \^f^sT «* rooaiafr ' '
Head, neck and crest dark chestnut t^

brown. &r»»i- >el tke eeek ¥01^0^. C**-*-*^ P^*T^
TJtih hrmrn. yellow aad wbt^e. Best "u---^ i-^Aii. -W
of plumage white. JU-c^-^-t,.

In breeding plumage, the adults wear
a beautiful greenish, bronze-colored
aigrette of long hairy feathers covering
the whole backjj^

\.uimma%i^Q fe»^^, ^the chestnut of
the head and neck is replaced by
brown streaked with buff. The breast
is white streaked brown, the upper
parts are various shades of brown, the
scapulars being obscurely streaked
with buff.

Di&trihution. — Cochin China and
most of China. This bird is a summer
visitant in the Yangtse Valley.

"Nest and Eggs. — Several large nest-
ing colonies of this heron have been
visited along the south bank of the
Yangtse Eiver, near Kiangyin, One
was in a large bamboo grove at the
rear of a village. The nests were
mingled with those of a colony of the
Azure-wing Magpie. Another was in
a group of large trees on the streets of
a village, and still another within the
city of Kiangyin. The nests were
loose platforms of sticks placed among
the small outer branches of the trees
from 15 to 30 feet from the ground.
The eggs are a light apple-green color,
from two to four in a clutch.

( 18 )

Notes. — This heron is constantly
seen in the paddy fields during the
summer. In flight it appears quite
white as the under parts are chiefly in
view. Once it a^lights, the colors of
the back and neck so blend with its
surroundings as to cause the bird to
disappear almost instantly.

LITTLE BITTEEN.

IXOBRTCHUS SINENSIS (gM.)

[Ardetta sinensis (Gm.)]

Description. — Length 13i inches.

Bill yellow in male; in female
fuscous above, white below. The skin
at the base of the bill is yellowish-
green in both sexes. Legs are yellowish
green ; tibia completely feathered to the
joint ; inner toe longer than the outer
one. Iris yellow.

Male. — Crown black. Neck behind
rufous, in front yellowish. Back pale
brown, wing coverts greyish yellow.
Breast and abdomen yellow. Feathers
of under parts more or less marked
with brown. Axillaries are bufiQsh-
white. Wing and tail quills greyish
black. There are 10 tail quills.

Female. — She is similar to the male
except the crown and some streaks on
the forehead are bluish-slabe and there
is a collar of black feathers edged
ochracoeus at the base of the neck^ al-a^ ^■»-f|, <-\-*^'<^

Distribution. — India, Philippines, ^tuxfcvo rf -u-fi-^
Japan, and all of China. This bird is t<.*.A*u*v» **.»->•
a summer visitant in the Yangtse jT t^^tJ tt-
Valley. "^ob

Nest and Eggs.— While it may at (^■<'^*^ >— »-^^
times build its nest in trees or OLX«. o-Vctfertr
bamboos at a moderate height from
the ground, yet it seems to prefer to

( 19 )

nesfc among the tall reeds which are
so abundant along the water courses.
It makes a rather large nest of dry
rushes and reed leaves which are
tightly interwoven with the reed
stems which support it. The clutch
usually consists of four, oval, greenish-
white eggs.

CINNAMON HEKON.

IXOBETCHUS CINNAMOMEA (gm).

[Ardetta cinnamomea (Gm.)]
Description. — Length Scinches.

Bill yellow with black tip. Legs
greenish yellow. Lores and eyelids
bare and yellow, -i^ ^v*.--»JU< _ fyu^rjiJu-*^

Male. — Head and upper parts rufous
brown with a slaty blue tinge to the
crest. Lower parts ochraceous buff.
Indistinct black streak from throat to
breast (more distinct in the female).
Patch of black feathers margined
ochraceous in front of wing.

Female, — differs from the male in
having bluish slaty tinge to all the
rufous upper parts, deepest on the top
of the head and lightest on the rump
and tail ; and a mottling of buff and
black on the wings and lower parts.

Distribution. — India, Malaysia,
Japan and China. A summer visitant
in this part of the Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — This heron nests
among the reeds along the streams or
in marshy places. The eggs, five or
six to a clutch, are oval and a dull
white in color, lacking the bluish
tinge, though they sometimes have it.

Notes. — This is one of the night
herons, remaining concealed during
the daylight hours in the thick vege-

( 20 )

tation of the swamps or streams, from
which it can be readily flushed, especi-
ally late in the afternoons.

BLACK-CEOWNED NIGHT
HEEON.

NYCTICORAX NYCTICORAX (l).
[Nycticorax griseus (L).]

Descrix)tion. — Length 22 inches.

Bill very heavy and arched, black
inclining to yellowish at the base.
Legs pale yellowish green. Iris deep
reddish orange. Crown, back, and
scapulars glossy greenish black. Fore-
head, sides of head, and under parts
whitish. Lower back, wings, and
tail ashy grey. Two or three long
white plumes forming a crest. The
young birds are quite different in
plumage from the adults. They are
" greyish brown, streaked and spotted
yellowish white over the whole body,
slightly lighter below."

Distributio7i. — Cosmopolitan. It is a
resident in the Yangtse Valley.

Nests and Eggs. — These night
herons nest in colonies in trees, a
number of the nests, built close to-
gether, may be found in one tree. The
nest itself is little more than a rough
platform of loosely piled twigs. The
eggs are a uniform pale, dull-blue, and
there are usually from four to six in a
clutch. A large colony of these birds
has been nesting in the South-east
corner of the city of Soochow for quite
a number of years and they regularly
return to the same place each year if
they are not disturbed. First the
heronry was located in the tall
trees inside of a large high-walled

( 21 )

enclosure and they used this
for several years consecutively until
they were driven away by some
one shooting at them, presumably
for their plumes. They then moved
about half-a-mile to another enclosed
grove around a Confucian temple. At
present they still hold these quarters,
but we noticed during the summer
that the Chinese boys were gathering
these eggs by the wholesale to eat.
We have never noticed this before.

Notes. — These birds are rightly
named, for they sit around in the
trees through the day and start out
about nightfall to hunt for their food
in the paddy fields. Their hoarse
" quark, quark " can be heard at all
hours of the night out of the dark sky
as they pass over and this has given
rise to many strange superstitions
among the Chinese.

GEEAT BITTEEN.

BOTAURUS STELLARIS.
Description. — Length 28 inches.

Bill greenish yellow. Feet and logs
yellowish green ; the inner toe is longer
than the outer. Iris reddish yellow.

" Crown and nape black ; upper
plumage generally ochreous buff, with
black or dark brown markings which
cover the greater part of the back and
scapulars and become broken into
angulate cross bars on the wing covets,
rump, and tail, and into more distant
narrow angulate bars on the sides of
the neck ; quills rather irregularly
barred black and rufous ; a broad
blackish stripe runs back from the
gape. Chin and throat whitish with
a median tawny band ; rest of lower

( 22 )

plumage yellowish buff with brown
mottled streaks on the fore neck, and
black on the breast and abdomen."

Distribution. — Europe through Asia
to Japan. It is found all over China,
nesting in Fokien and the South and
"wintering in the Yangtse Valley.

The following Herons also occur in
the Yangtse Valley.

Pyrrherodias purpurea (L), Eastern
Purple Heron.

Herodias alba (L), Great Egret.

Mesophoyx intermedia (Wagl.), Les-
ser Egret.

Egretta garzetta (L), Little Egret.

Bubulcus coromandus (Bodd.), Cat-
tle Egret.

Dupetor flavicollis (Lath.), Yellow-
necked Heron.

Nannocnus eurythmus (Swinhoe\
Von Schrenk's Little Heron.

Butorides javanicus (Horsf.), Little
Green Heron.

Family, Ciconildae, The Storks.

The bill of the Stork is rounded and
more or less curved downward. The
front toes are connected at the base by
a web, but there is no comb on the
middle toe nail as in the Herons, which
they somewhat resemble. The leg is
bare, well up to the thighs. The wings
are large, and the short rounded tail is
composed of only 10 feathers. In
flight the neck is held straight forward
and not folded as with the herons.

Only three members of this family
are likely to be met with in the Yang-
tse Valley.

Ciconia nigra (L.), Black Stork.

( 23 )

Leptotilus javanicus (Hors.), Smaller
Adjutant.

Ibis leucocephalus (Penn.) Painted
Stork.

Family, Thresklornitbidae, The Ibises.

Ibises, in general, maybe distinguish-
ed from Storks by their smaller size, and
in the case of the one species found in
the Yangtse Valley, by the large crest
and the deeply curved bill. The bill ig
rather slender, cylindrical and evenly
bent downward. It is soft except at
the tip, and the nostrils are silts placed
in a deep narrow groove, which extends
quite to the tip. The legs are thick,
strong and of moderate length. The
toes are long, the front ones connected
by a web, and the claws are long and
slender. The wings are rather long and
pointed, and the tail of 12 feathers is
short and square.

Nippon ia nippon (Temm.), Japanese
Crested Ibis is a summer visitant in
the Yangtse Valley.

Family, Plateleidae, Tbe Spoonbills.

Spoonbills are readily distinguished
by their characteristic bill from which
they receive their common name. The
bill is long and nearly straight, flattened
and narrow in the middle, but expanded
into a broad spoon-shaped tip. The
head is partially or entirely bare, and
the nostrils are longitudinal grooves.
The wings are large reaching about to
the end of the tail, which is short, even,
and composed of 12 broad rounded
feathers. Of the seven known species
of Spoonbills, only two are found in
China, they pass the Yangtse on
migration.

( 24 )

Platalea leucorodia Linn., Great
Spoonbill.

Platalea minor T. & S., Lesser
Spoonbill.

ORDER ANSERIFORMES, GOOSE-LIKE BIRDS.

This order is distinguished by hav-
ing four toes, the front three fully
webbed, tarsi not strikingly flattened
as in the Grebes; the tail is always
well developed ; bill with tooth-like
projections, fluted ridges, or gutters
along the sides. In some species the
bill is more or less tapering to a point
in all, however, the upper mandible
terminates in a nail.

This cosmopolitan order embraces
but one family, the Anatidae, which
is divided into several clearly marked
sub-families, under which they can be
most conveniently described. The
whole family numbers about 210
species, of which 37 representatives
are found in China.

The family is divided into five sub-
families : —

1. Cygninae, the Swans ;

2. Anserinae, the Geese. These
birds have the hind toe not lobed.

3. Anatinae, the River Ducks.
These birds have the hind toe narrowly
lobed.

4. Fuliginae, the Sea Ducks ;

5. Merginae Mergansers. These
birds have the hind toe broadly lobed.

Sub-Family, Cygninae, Swans.

Swans are the largest members of
the family, and are technically distin-
guished by having the lores bare, all
the other members of the family
having them feathered. The neck is
as long or longer than the body, the

( 25 )

number of vertebrae in it varying from
23 to 30, as compared with 20 in other
Anseres.

Swans feed from the surface of the
water by tipping up, or by simply
immersing their long necks and heads.
Their food consists largely of vegetable
matter, but they also eat small
mollusks.

They migrate in V shaped flocks,
much like the Geese.

The following forms are rather rare
winter visitants : —

Olor cygnus (h\ Whooper or Wild
Swan.

Olor bewicki minor (K. and B.,)
Bewick's Swan.

Sub-Family, Anserinae, Geese.

Geese may be recognized by having
proportionately longer legs than ducks,
the tarsus being longer than middle
toe without the nail, and the scales in
front hexagonal instead of narrow like
the ducks. They differ from the
Swans in having the neck always
shorter than the body, although longer
than in most of the ducks.

Geese are vegetarians, frequently
visiting the land to nip the herbage.
When on the water they feed by tip-
ping up like the River Ducks. In
migration they fly in a V shaped flock,
led by an old gander.

THE WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE.

ANSEE ALBIFEONS (sCOP).

Description. — Length 27 inches.
Bill pale red, nail white. Iris pale
brown. Legs orange. There is a

( 26 )

white band on the forehead which
does not reach as far back as the eye
and sometimes a white spot at the
base of the lower mandible. The
upper parts are brownish ash. The
breast is brownish white, and there
are usually some irregular black

marking on the upper breast. In
young birds the white on the head is
either absent or brownish white, and
there are no black markings on the
breast.

Distrihution. — It occurs throughout
the Palaearctic region, wintering
south through China. It is more com-
mon in South and Central China than
in the North during the winter. It
breeds in the far North.

LESSEE WHITE-FEONTED
GOOSE.

ANSER ERYTHROPUS. (l.)

Description. — Length 21 inches.
Bill pale. Legs yellow. Iris brown.

This goose is very much like the
White-fronted Goose : it differs from
that one in that it is smaller in size ;
the bill is much smaller ; the plumage
is darker in coloring, and that the
white on the forehead covers a larger
area. The distinguishing mark of
this species is that the white of the
forehead extends as far back on the
top of the head as the eye.

Distrihution. — Europe and Asia.
Common throughout China in the
winter, and especially on migration
when large numbers cross the country
to and from the breeding grounds in
the tundras of Siberia.

( 27 )
BEAN GOOSE.

ANSEB PABALIS (lATHS).

[A. segetum (M. and W.)]
[A. serrirostris (Gould). ]

Description. — Length 32 inches.
The bill is orange-color in the middle,
black at the base, on the edges, and
on the nail. Iris dark brown. Legs
and feet orange yellow.

The whole plumage is brownish
grey, dark above and lighter below.

The coloring of the bill is the dis-
tinguishing mark of the species.

Distribution. — Europe and Asia,
breeding in the far North. These
geese are common all over China
during the winter season.

Notes. — They feed in the fields,
often doing great damage to the young
wheat, and rest in large flocks on the
large mud-flats and sand-bars of the
rivers.

GKEY LAG GOOSE.

ANSEB CINEREUS (m. & W.)
Description. — Length 32 inches.
Bill flesh-colored, with a white nail.
Iris brown. Legs and feet same color
as bill.

Head, neck, and upper parts ashy
brown. Under parts light bluish grey
with a small number of black spots.

Distribution. — Europe and Asia to
India. It breeds in Central Asia and
Southern Siberia. It is a winter
visitant in the Yangtse Valley.

PYGMY GOOSE. (COTTON TEAL)

nett/Vpus coromandelianus (am.)

Description. — Length 13 inches.

In summer the bill of the male is

( 28 )

black ; in the female, and in the male
in winter, it is brown above and
yellowish below. Iris bright red in
the male, brown in the female. Legs
and feet black and yellow in the male
and greenish yellow in the female.

Male is brown on the forehead and
crown ; the sides of the head, neck
and lower parts are white, vermiculat-
ed with brown on the sides of the
body. There is a collar of glossy
greenisb black which is lost in winter.
The upper parts are glossy greenish-
brown, barred white on the tail coverts.
There is a broad white bar across the
wing and a black tip to the primaries.

Females have a brown line through
the lores and eyes and there is more
or less brownish tint and brown mark-
ing on the white parts. The wings
are entirely brown. There is no collar
and no gloss on the upper parts.

Immature birds resemble the
females.

Distribution. — India, East Indies,
South and Central China. It is a
summer visitant in the Yangtse
Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — Jerdon thus
describes the breeding habits of the
Indian bird : — " It breeds generally in
old trees, often at some distance from
the water, occasionally in ruined
houses, temples, old chimneys and the
like, laying eight or ten small white
eggs. "

Notes. — This bird seems to prefer
marshy streams, or even ditches which
run through the paddy, to the larger
open waters. It is frequently seen
in this part of the Yangtse Valley
during the summer months.

( 29 )

There is also another Goose which
has been recorded from this part of
China : —

Cygnopsis (or Anser) cygnoides (L.),
Swan Goose.

Snb-faanily, Anatlnae, River Ducks.

The ducks of this subJamly are
marked by the absence of a^Jobe on
the hind toe. Another characteristic
is their habit of tipping up to feed like
the domestic duck. Their food is
chiefly mollusks, crustaceans, insects
and their larvae, seeds and roots of
aquatic plants.

They are for the most part northern
breeding birds, only one of the species
recorded from the Yangtse Valley
being known to nest here (The Yellow
Nib Duck, P. zonorhyncha).

MALLAED DUCK.

ANAS PLATYEHYNCHOS. Cl)

(A. boschas L.)

Description. — Length of male 26
inches, female 22 inches.

Male. — Bill greenish. Iris dark
brown. Legs orange. Head and
upper-neck brilliant irridescent green
with a narrow white collar. Upper
back chestnut brown, lower back
black. Upper breast chestnut brown.
Abdomen greyish white. The outer
websof thesecondaries form a speculum
of rich purple edged with black.
Upper and under tail coverts black.

Fe^nale. — Bill yellowish-orange with
a black naU. Legs yellowish-
orange. The whole plumage is yellow
or light brown streaked with darker.
The speculum is green above, black
below, and edged with white.

( 30 )

Distribution. — Circumpolar, it is
widely distributed in Europe, Asia, and
North America, and is also found as far
South as North Africa and Jamaica.
It is a common winter visitant on the
lakes and ponds of the Yangtse Valley.

Notes. — This well known duck is
interesting not only as being the object
of the sportsman's search, but also aa
being the form of wild duck which baa
been domesticated and made of service
on our yards. It is believed to be the
ancestral stock from which most of
our domestic breeds have come.

YELLOW NIB DUCK.

polionetta zonoehyncha
(swinhoe)

Anas zonorhyncha (Sw.)

Description. — Bill black, tipped
with yellow. Feet orange-yellow.
The general color of the plumage is
brown, in this it is like the female
Mallard, from which it is readily dis-
tinguished by the bill. The female
Mallard's bill being yellow with a
black tip, while in this duck it is black
with a yellow tip. It is somewhat
larger than the Mallard and has a
longer neck which may be readily
noted when on the wing. The lower
parts are somewhat darker than in the
female Mallard and there is a distinct
light streak on each side of the head
over the eye. The sexes are alike.

Distribution. — Across Japan and
China to Mongolia and Eastern
Siberia. This is one of China's
resident ducks which sometimes
remains to breed in the Yangtse
Valley, though it is much more com-
mon in winter, when it mixes freely

( 31 )

with the Mallards and other river-
ducks. Pairs have been seen flying
together in summer along the coast in
Shantung and in Southern Kiangsu,
but no nest have been found, Both
young birds and eggs have been taken
in Swatov^r.

This duck commonly breeds further
South than most of the others ; nests
are often seen in Chihli and Shansi
Provinces. Pairs of these ducks have
also been seen flying togetlier in the
Summer along the coast in Sliantung
and in Southern Kiangsu at Kianqyin,
but no nests have been found. Both
young birds and eggs have been taken
in Swatovv.

Notes. — This duck has also been
tamed by the Chinese and its off-
spring are often seen in domestic flocks.

GEEEN- WINGED TEAL.
(Common Teal)

NETTION CEECCA (L).

(Nettium crecca (L),)
(Querquedula crecca S-G.)

Description. — Length lii inches.
Bill is dark lead color, nearly black,
the tip black. Lags lead grey, with a
tinge of brown. Iris pale hazel brown.

Male. Crown and cheeks chestnut.
A deep-green stripe through the eye
and down the side of the neck. Breast
grey and spotted with black, frequently
more or less washed with salmon pink.
Abdomen white. Back and sides of
breast vermiculated with black and
grey. Speculum green bordered with
buff. Under tail coverts buff^ a^ s;.>&-t<i «-v-t»<X -^

Female is a mottled brown without -v*— I4-M*-.
the highly colored head. It is a much

( 32 )

more soberly colored duck, but it has
the characteristic green wing spot.

In both sexes the outer webs of the
cuter secondaries are velvet black and
those of the three inner ones metallic
emerald green. The female dress is
assumed by the drake in July and is
kept until October.

Distribution. — Europe, North Africa
and Asia. It is a very common Win-
ter visitant to the Yangtse Valley but
rests further North.

Notes. — These little ducks are often
found even on the small ponds in
thickly peopled cities. They seem
much tamer than the larger river-
ducks, when startled, however, they
rise directly from the water and are off
with remarkable swiftness. The
flavor of the flesh of this bird is quite
delicate and it is highly prized as food
by all who know it.

SPECTACLED TEAL.

NETTION FORMOSUM (gEORGI).
fEunetta formosa Bp.)

Description. — Length about 16
inches. ' Bill black. Iris brown.
Legs greenish slate-color.

Male has a black crown, each feather
bordered with yellow. Cheeks buff,
with a white streak above the eye and
a black stripe through the eye extend-
ing diagonally backwards and down-
wards, meeting the black of the throat
on each side. Back of the head and
neck have four concentric stripes
buff, black, green, and buff. Upper
breast mauve, lighter below and
marked with small black spots.
Abdomen white, finely barred.
Back grey and reddish brown

( 33 )

somewhat vermiculafced. The fcerfcials
are elongated, acuminate, chestnut on
the outer oMilit, black in the center,
and whitish on the iaei^o'^ tfTool) af fe.
The speculum is brown, black, gresn,
and white. The greater wing coverts
are tipped with chestnut buff.

The female has the chin and throat
white as are also spots on the side of
the head. The rest of the head and
neck are mottled black, brown, and
buff. The remainder of the body is
similar to the male, but darker.

Distribution. — Eastern Asia, It is
very common in the Yangtse Valley on
migration, both Spring and Fall, but
very few seem to remain for the Win-
ter.

FALCATED TEAL.

EUNETTA PALCATA (gEOEGI.)
Description. — Length about 20
inches. ' Bill black in the male,
with a greenish tinge in the
female. Iris brown. Feet and legs
drab tinged with olive.'
iy\.e^-t(c. -The head and neck are green with
an occipital crest of the same color.
The neck has a white collar and the
throat is white. The breast is grey
with dark crescentric markings, darker
above and lighter below. The back is
vermiculated with black and grey.
The tertials are dark green and grey,
much elongated, curved like a sickle
downwards about the end of the tail.
Speculum dark green. The greater
wing coverts are grey shading to
white at the tips.

Distribution. — This is an Asiatic
species though it is occasionally found
in Europe. It passes along the China

( 34 )

ooasfc each Spring and Fall, spending
the Winter in the Yangtse Valley and
further South. While not abundant
it may frequently be seen on the large
lakes of the interior. It is often taken
on the Great Lake. It breeds in
Siberia.

Notes. — A male very slighly wound-
ed in the wing was brought home to
Kiangyin during the Winter and
became quite tame, taking his place
among the domestic fowls. His wing
healed entirely but as the feathers
had been clipped he was unable to
fly for a time. Later when new
ones had grown, he followed the
Spring migration to the North.

The following also have been reported
from the Yangtse Valley : —

Dendrocygna javanica (Hore)
Lesser Whistling Teal.

Tadorna tadorna (L.), Sheldrake.

Casarca ferruginea (Pall.), Euddy
Sheldrake.

Aix galericulata (L.), Mandarin
Duck.

Mareca penelope (L.), Widgeon.

Dafila acuta (L), Pintail Duck.

Chaulelasmusstreperus (L.). Gadwell.

Querquedula querquedula (L.), Gar-
ganey Teal.

Spatula clypeata (L.), Shoveller.

Sub-Family, Fnligulinae, Sea Dacks.

Sea Duck8,arev distinguished by the
presence of a'Jweb or lobe on the hind
toe. They are open water ducks,
frequenting large lakes, bays, and sea
coasts. Their food consists chiefly of
mollusks, crustaceans, and the seeds
and roots of aquatic plants. They feed

( 35 )

not by tipping up, as in the previous
group, but, by diving, often to a
surprising depth.

They are northern breeders, seldom
nesting south of the circumpolar
regions.

GOLDEN EYE.

CLANGULA CLANGULA (L).
[C. glaucion (Sw.)]

Description. — Length 18-19 inches,
Bill short, bluish black. Iris golden
yellow giving the bird its popular
name. Legs yellow.

The head is quite large for the size
of the bird and has a small crest. The
crown and neck are black with green
reflecrtions. There is a white spot at
the base of the bill. The feathering
on the side of the upper mandible does
not approach within half an inch of
the nostrils. The lower neck and
breast are white and the sides are
dark grey. The back is black. The
wing coverts are white with black
bases. The secondaries are mostly
white and the axillaries dark.

The female is rusty brown above
and lacks the Vv'hite face-spot. Under-
parts are white. The male takes on
he female dress during the summer.

Distribution. — Circumpolar, breed-
ing in the sub-arctic regions. Quite
common in Winter in the Yangtse
Valley usually in small groups or
mixed with flocks of other ducks.

The following are less common
but have been taken in the Yangtse
Valley:—

Marila fuligula (L.), Tufted Duck.

( 36 )

M. baeri (Radde), Eastern White-
eyed duck.

M. ferina (L.), Pochard.

M. marila (L), Scaup.

M. mariloides, Eastern Scaup.

Oidemia fusca (L.), Velvet Scoter.

O. carbo (Pall), Eastern Velvet
Scoter.

Sub-Family, Merginae, The Mergansers.

The bill of Mergansers is very long,
narrow, and rounded, with numerous
tooth-like projections along the sides.
They are fish-eating ducks, their ser-
rated bills enabling them easily to hold
their prey, which is pursued and caught
under water. They swim rapidly, and
excell all other ducks as divers. When
suddenly startled they may rise directly
from the water, but usually they pat
the surface for some distance with their
feet, and rise against the wind. Their
flight is strong, straight, and swift.

Of the nine recognized species of
Mergansers, three are found in the
Yangtse Valley.

THE SMEW,

MEEGELLUS ALBELLUS (L) .
[ Mergus albellus (L) ]

Description. — Length 17 inches
Bill, legs, and feet lead grey. Iris
reddish brown. Head and neck white
with the exception of a black patch
around the eye, and a black stripe on
the crown and down the back of the
neck including the crest. Back most-
ly black. Tail grey. Greater wing,
coverts have two narrow white bars.
Secondaries black tipped with white.
Flanks vermiculated with grey. Un-
der parts white.

( 37 )

The female has the head and neck
for the most part reddish brown ; back
greyish brown, otherwise Hke the male.

The male assumes the plumage of the
female in June and retains it until the
Autumn.

Distribution. — Europe and Asia. It
is a Winter visitant and fairly common
in the Yangtse Valley. It is usually
found singly or with the smaller ducks
on the inland pools and marshes.

MERGANSEE.

MEBGUS MERGANSER L.

(Mergus Castor L.)

Description. — Length twenty six to
twenty seven inches. Bill long, narrow,
hooked, serrated, and vermilion in
color. Legs red. Iris carmine red.

Male. — Head and neck black with
decided greenish reflections, and with
a short crest. Breast with a rosy
flush, lower down white. Upper back
black, lower back grey. Primaries
black, secondaries and tertials white
bordered with black. Greater wing
coverts grey tipped with orange, lesser
ones white.

Female has head and neck reddish

brown. A longer crest. Breast grey,

back dark blue grey. Lesser wing
coverts grey.

This is the largest of the Mergansers
and may be distinguished by the white
secondary quills with completely con-
cealed dark bases on the outer webs.

Distribution. — Ciranuipokir -a»^
V/idely distributed over N^-th Am»
*ie», Europe and Asia. A Winter
visitant and quite common in the

( 38 )

Yangtae Valley. They are usually
seen singly or in small groups on the
inland pools and marshes.

Notes. — Its call is a ' low whistling
cry ' though when several are resting
together on the water, they frequently
quack much like the large river-ducks.

Mergus serrator L., Eed-breasted
Merganser is a less common Winter
visitant in the Yangtse Valley.

ORDER, FALCONIFORMES, FALCON-LIKE
BIRDS.

Typically these are birds of robust
size with jpowerful wings which
enable them to pursue and capture
other birds or swift-moving animals.
Most of them have short, but very
strong bills with strongly arched tip
and sharp cutting edges. The feet are
strong, provided, in most cases, with
long, curved, sharp claws. In those
which feed on carrion, however, the
claws are often weaker and more blunt.

Another distinguishing feature is the
cere, which is a peculiar membrane
sheathing the base of the upper
mandible.

There are only two other important
groups of birds possessing the hooked
bill and the cere, namely the Owls
and the Parrots.

Family, Falconldae, The Falcons.

In the Falcons, the hind toe is
shorter than the lateral pair. The
bill is strong, broad at the base ; the
upper mandible has a prominent tooth
and the lower one a corresponding
notch. The nostril is a small round or

( 39 )

oblique opening, with a bony ribbed
margin and a central tubercle. The
wings are long and pointed with never
more than two primaries emarginated.

This family is further broken into
several groups or sub-families more or
less sharply divided, which need only
be mentioned. The true Falcons have
the middle toe very long, never much
shorter and sometimes longer than the
tarsus, and the nostril opening round.
The smaller Kestrels have the tarsus
decidedly longer than the middle toe,
the nostril opening round, and the
sexes differing widely in coloration.

The Falconets are the smallest of the
family, and have the nostrils oval.

PEEEGEINE, (PEREGRINE
FALCON.)

FALCO PEEEGEINUS TUENSTALL.

Descriptio7i.— Length, male fifteen
inches ; female seventeen inches.
Beak bluish : cere and claws yellow.
The wings reach to the end of the tail
which is rounded. Iris dark brown.

Plumage silvery grey above with
band and spots of darker color on every
feather. Head, cheeks, and mustache
black. Throat and all parts below
white, with black streaks on the breast,
spots on the abdomen and transverse
bars on the flanks, legs, and under tail
coverts. Tail brown barred with
whitish.

The young are entirely reddish be-
low, with long black spots.

^ Distrihition. — Cosmopolitan. This
bird is a resident in the Yangtse Valley,

Nest and Eggs.— Hudson writes

thus of the European bird; usually

it makes no nest, the eggs being

( 40 )

deposited in a slight hollow scratched
in the soil on ledge of a cliff. When
it breeds in a tree it makes use of the
deserted nest of some other bird. Two
to four eggs are laid, yellowish white
in ground color, mottled and spotted
with reddish brown and orange
brown."

Notes. — The cry of this bird is strong
and sharp and is usually given when
the bird is on the wing.

This falcon is commonly used by the
hunters around Kiangyin for chasing
pheasants. Beaters raise the bird
from cover and then the falcon is im-
mediately released for pursuit. The
hunters all follow on foot. The falcons
frequently catch their prey and so far
as we have seen only hold it on the
ground until the hunters come up.
They then open the bird and feed the
heart.liver, etc., to the falcon. We have
rarely seen the falcons tear a bird
seriously. The hunters claim that it
is impossible to train the falcons to
obey or come at their call.

HOBBY.

FALCO SUBBUTEO L.

Description. — Length of female 13
to 14 inches ; male somewhat smaller.

" Bill black or bluish-black, darkest
at the tip, blue at the base. Cere
yellow. Legs greenish yellow. Iris
reddish brown or orange."

" The plumage of the upper parts is
dark slaty grey, becoming darker to
black on the head. The throat is
white. The breast is white marked
with longitudinal black stripes. The
bights are uniformly rufous. The
female has the colors less bright and
the mai'kings broader."

( 41 )

Distribution. — Northern Europe and
Asia. Ifc is a summer visitant in the
Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — The Hobby usually
builds its nest high up in trees, fre-
quently making use of the deserted
nests of other birds such as the crows
or magpies.

There are generally three or four
eggs in a clutch. They have a reddish-
white or white ground color which is
80 thickly blotched, speckled or stip-
pled over with shades of red as to
entirely hide the ground color.

Notes. — It is a very courageous bird
and will attack the kite or any other
birds that may come about its nest
during the breeding season. Its food
consists largely of dragon-flies, beetles,
etc., and also the smaller birds such as
sparrows, buntings, larks, and other
small birds.

MEKLIN.

FALCO AESALON TUENSTALL.

(Falco regulus Pall.)
(Aesalon regulus Turnst.)

Description. — Length about ten and
one half inches. Bill bluish. Cere and
legs yellow. Iris brown.

Wing does not reach the end of
the tail. Two outer wing quills with
inner webs emarginate near the
tip. Neck yellowish red, encircled
with brownish ring, spotted. To
be recognized by its small size, blue
grey color of its upper parts, every
feather of its head and back being
marked with brown in the center.

Chin and throat white, or greyish,
washed with yellow, spotted with
brown. Breast dull reddish, sometimes

( 42 )

darker. Tail banded with black, but
number of bands variable.

Female larger. Breast spots larger
than those of male. Back brown mixed
with rufous. Tail greyish brown.

Distributio7i. — Europe and Asia.
Winter visitant in the Yangtse Valley.

DAEKER KESTREL.

CEECHNEIS SATURATUS BLYTH.
(Falco tinnunculus saturatus (Blyth).)

Description. — Length thirteen and
one half to fifteen inches. Bill
bluish : Cere and legs yellow.

Head ash-grey feathers streaked
with darker. A blackish oblique
streak near the angle of the mouth.
Neck bluish. Chin and throat whitish
and unspotted. Breast "pale yellowish
orange red," each feather streaked
with darker and with a spot near the
end. Upper back cinnamon red, shaft
of each feather grey with spot near the
end. Tail grey, but with a broad
subterminal band.

Female has larger spots and the tail
has ten or more dark bars.

Distribution. — Europe and Asia.
Resident in this part of the Yangtse
Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — This bird some-
times builds in holes making a rough
nest, or it may take possession of the
deserted nest of a crow or magpie.
Like the other kestrels it usually lays
four or five eggs, the ground color of
which is white and they are variously
marked, blotched, mottled, or speckled,
with several shades of red from pale
red to crimson.

( 43 )

The following have also been seen in
the Yangtse Valley : —

F a 1 c o peregrinator ( Sundev. ) ,
Shdhin Falcon.

Cerchneis tinnunculus (L.), Japan-
ese Kestrel.

Erythropus amurensis (Radde) .
Eastern Red-footed Falcon.

Microhierax melanoleucus (Blyth,),
White-legged Falconet.

Family, Buteonidae, Kites, Buzzards, Eagles,
Hawks, etc.

This is a very large and rather
mixed family, differing widely both
in habits and appearance. As a
rule they are large birds, and while
some of them possess remarkable
powers of sustained flight, they are
usually slower in flight and less bold
and fierce in hunting their prey than
the Falconidae.

The family is divided into many
groups or sub-families which can best
be taken up individually.

Sub-Family, Pandioninae, Osprey.

The Ospreys, or Fish-hawks, stand
apart as a separate group whose re-
lationships have long been in dispute.
The outer toe is reversible, thus form-
ing a distinct type among Diurnal Birds
of Prey, and on account of this some
have regarded them as a connecting
link with the Owls.

Several species have been described
at various times, but it is now generally
accepted that there is only one species
varying in different parts of its range
into well marked sub-species.

( 44 )
OSPEEY,

PANDION HALIAETUS (l).

Description. — Length about 22
inches. Bill black, cere, gape and
eyelids dull greenish blue. Feet and
legs pale yellowish green, claws black.
Iris yellow.

Head and neck are white, crown and
nape streaked brown. A brownish
band through each eye and down the
sides of the neck. Upper parts dark
greyish brown. Tail brown, more or
less distinctly barred. Wing quills
black. Under parts white with brown
streaks in the breast.

Young birds have more barring on
the tail and little or no brown on the
breast.

Distribution. — Cosmopolitan. Ke-
sident in the Yangtse Valley. Various
sub-species have been described in
different parts of the world.

Nest and Eggs. — The location of the
nest is quite varied, usually in the tops
of tall trees, but where it is protected
it may build close to the ground or
even on the ground. The nest is built
of large sticks, twigs, etc., and lined
with softer material, as grass, fibrous
bark, moss, etc. Eggs, usually two,
sometimes four, in a clutch, are ex-
tremely variable in color. Sometimes
dull white to chocolate brown unmark-
ed, but usually they are yellowish
white, heavily marked brown especially
at the larger end.

Sub-Family, Milvinae, Kites, Buzzard Eagles,
Sea Eagles.

These birds, differing widely in out-
ward appearance, are associated for
anatomical reasons.

( 45 )

The Kites are of moderate size with
long pointed wings, and more or less
forked tails. They have a rather weak
bill without any notch ; the tarsus is
short, and the claws long and sharp.

The Buzzard Eagles have a large
bill sharply bent near the tip, nostrils
oval provided with a membrane above.
Wings very long extending beyond
the tail. Tail of moderate length,
slightly rounded at the end.

The Sea Eagles are much larger than
either of the foregoing. They have the
lower tarsus naked all around, and
lanceolate feathers on the head and
neck. The bill is very large and
powerful, and the feet are enormously
heavy and strong. The Bald Eagle or
American Eagle belongs to this group.

BLACK-EAEED KITE.

MILVUS MELANOTIS T. AND S.

Description. — Length twenty-six
inches.

Beak dark ; cere dull green ; legs
greenish ; iris light brownish yellow.
Tail forked, tarsus feathered half its
length. Auriculars dark brown. Plum-
age brown with suggestions of purple
reflections, lighter on head and neck
where every feather is marked in the
center with a black streak. Tail lightly
barred with brown.

The young are generally lighter in
color, the tail whitish at its end.

When flying overhead it is most
readily distinguished by the forked tail
and a large light spot on the under
side of the wing clearly visible in flight.

Distribution. — Saotwn BuMopo,
Siberia, and China generally. A very
common resident in the Yangtse Valley.

( 46 )

Nest and Eggs. — These birds build
large, coarse nests, usually high up
in tall trees. The outer part is com-
posed of sticks roughly laid together
and lined with grasses or any available
rubbish.

A pair of these kites have been
nesting for several years on the tall
tower of the Soochow University

They return regularly each year in
spite of the destruction of the nest
each time.

The eggs in a clutch vary from 1
to 3 in number, 2 being the usual
number. Greenish white is the ground
color and it is variously marked with
several shades of brown or at times
even with violet.

Notes. — One of the most familiar of
Chinese birds, seen soaring high in the
air, or swooping about the settlements
on the keen lookout for ofifal or scraps
of almost any description.

These other representatives of this
sub-family also occur in the Yangtse
Valley :—

Haliastur Indus (Bodd.), Brahminy
kite.

Butastur indicus (Gm.), Grey-faced
Buzzard-Eagle.

Haliaetus albicilla (L.), White-tailed
Sea Eagle.

Sub-Family, Aquilinae, the Eagles.

The true Eagles form the largest and
most famous subdivision of this family.
Their wings are long, and the tail of
moderate length, and slightly rounded.
The tarsus is feathered to the toes.
The claws are large, sharp, and curved.

( 47 )

The following Eagles have been
observed in the Yangtse Valley, though
none of them are very common : —

Aquila heliaca (Sav.), Imperial Eagle.

A. maculata (Gm), Large Spotted
Eagle.

Nisaetus fasciatus (Vieill), Bonelli's
Eagle.

Spizaetus nipalensis (Hodgs),
Hodgson's Hawk Eagle.

Sub-Family, Vulturlnae, the Vultures.

Vultures are large birds with strong
feet, blunt claws and bare heads and
necks. Their nostrils are imperforate.
The hind toe is shorter than the
shortest front one. They all feed to
some extent on carrion.

The Vultures are divided into 7
genera and 17 species. Only 3 species
are found in China, and only one
reaches the Yangtse Valley.

Our one species is VulturmonachusL.,
Cinereous Vulture, and is not often seen
by the ordinary bird lover.

Sub-Family, Circinae, ttie Harriers.

The Harriers have very long slender
legs and a slight elegant form. They
have a disc of stiff feathers about the
head, soft plumage, and highly deve-
loped ears, as in the Owls. They
are especially remarkable for the great
diversity of coloration in the plumage
of the male and female, an unusual
thing among Birds of Prey.

China has 6 species, all of which
reach the Yangtse Valley.

( 48 )
HEN HAEEIER.

CIRCUS CYANEUS SWINHOE.

Description. — Length for the male
eighteen inches, the female twenty
inches. Bill black; cere yellow. Legs
long and yellow. Iris yellow.

Head and neck bluish grey. The
head surrounded with a ruff of stiff
feathers. Upper breast grey, below
bluish white. Back grey. Tail white
except two central rectrices, which are
grey. Under surface of tail with five
indistinct darker bars.

The pale bluish grey throat and
breast form a distinguishing mark for
the adult male.

Female is larger. Breast pale brown
streaked with dusky in the middle of
each feather. Back brown of varying
tints. General appearance of this bird
is brown, darker above and lighter
below, variously streaked and mottled.

The young resemble the female and
are much like the young of the Marsh
Harrier (C. seruginosus), but the 1st
and 7th primaries are nearly equal in
length in the Hen Harrier, while in
the Marsh Harrier the 1st is an inch
or more longer than the 7th.

Distribution. — Europe and Asia.
Common in China generally. It is a
winter visitant in the Yangtse Valley.

MARSH HARRIER.

CIRCUS iERUGINOSUS (lINN.)

Description. — Length twenty to
twenty-two inches.

Bill bluish black ; cere gi'eenish
yellow. Legs yellow and very long and
Blender, Iris orange yellow.

( 49 )

Head, or crown only, pale or white.
Upper neck has indistinct ruff of stiff
feathers. Secondaries ash grey. Wings
reach nearly to the end of the tail.
General color of the plumage red brown.

At more advanced age, head and
throat become ochreous yellow and
tertiaries become grey.

The plumage varies considerably in
different specimens.

Females similar to the males but a
little darker.

Distribution. — Europe and Asia.
Winter visitant in the Yangtse Valley.
More common in North than in South
China.

The following are also recorded as
having been observed in the Yangtse
Valley :—

Circus spilonotus Kaup., Eastern
Marsh Harrier.

C. melanoleucus (Pennant), The Pied
Harrier.

C. macrurus (Gmel.), The Pale
Harrier.

C. pygargus (L.), Montagu's Harrier.

Sub-Family, Buteonloae, the Buzzards.

The name Buzzard, which in Amer-
ica has been commonly applied to the
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura), is
used in a broad sense for a group of
large birds, of heavy, compact build,
and rather sluggish habits as compared
with other Birds of Prey.

Buzzards have been commonly placed
next to the Eagles, with which they
have many points in common, but,
among other things, they differ in
assuming the adult plumage after the
first moult, while the Eagles require
several years to acquire full plumage.

( 50 )

These three Buzzards are winter
visitants in the Yangtse Valley: —

Buteo plumipes (Hodgs.), The Har-
rier Buzzard.

Buteo hemilasius, T. & S., White-tail
Buzzard.

Archibuteo hemiptilopus (Blyth),
Himalayan Kough-legged Buzzard.

Sub-Family, Accipitrinae the Sparrow Hawks.

This group is composed of very
active birds, of small size but endowed
with indomitable courage and dash.
They have a slender graceful form, a
small head, and a weak bill with a
prominent tooth. The wings are
short and rounded, and the tail is long
and round at the tip. The legs are
very long and slender, the tibia and
tarsus being of nearly equal length.
The middle toe is much lengthened.

SPAEROW HAWK.

ACCIPITER NISUS (lINN.)

Description. — " Length of male Hi
to 13 inches. Bill bluish ; cere and
legs yellow. Toes black. Iris orange.
The fully grown male has the plumage
of the upper parts dark bluish grey
except for a white spot on the nape.
The cheeks, chin, and under parts are
rufous barred with reddish brown.
The tail is greyish brown and has from
three to five bands.

The female is about two and one
half inches larger than the male. The
plumage of the upper parts is brownish,
many feathers white at base, the nape
is white ; the primaries and tail are
lighter than the rest of the upper parts.
The under paits are greyish white with
brown bars."

( 51 )

Distribution. — Almosfc cosmopolitan.
Found all over China. A winter
visitant in the Yangtse Valley, rather
common from September to about
April.

Notes. — This bird is also trained by
the Chinese to serve as a means of
catching smaller birds for them.

x\stur cuculoides (Temm.), Tem-
minck's Goshawk is a summer visitant
and

Astur soloensis (Hoi's.), Horsfield's
Goshawk,

Accipiter virgatus (Temm). Besra
Sparrow Hawk, and

Accipiter gularis (T. and S.) , Japanese
Sparrow Hawk, pass the Yangtse
Valley on migration.

ORDER, GALLIFORMES, FOWL-LIKE BIRDS.

Birds of this order all have four
toes except in one family, the Turni-
cidae. The hind toe is small, and
elevated above the others. The bill
is short, stout and hard ; the upper
mandible is arched and more or less
overhangs the lower, as in the
domestic chicken. The legs are of
moderate length, but are always
strong, as these birds are mainly ter-
restrial, and depend on their legs both
for escaping danger and for securing
their food by scratching the surface of
the ground.

Family, Turnicldae, The Bustard Quails or
Hemipodes.

This is a small family of small birds,
whose appearance at once suggests
an immature Quail, their structural
characteristics however would suggest
a near relationship to the Kails. As

( 52 )

they are terrestrial in their liabits, and
usually found with the Quails, they are
here included in the same group.

The most marked characteristic is
the entire absence of the hind toe,
except in one Australian Species, the
true Quails always having four.

About 50 species are known, only
one of which occurs in China, the
remainder belonging to southern Asia,
Africa and Australia.

BLANFOKD'S BUTTON QUAIL.

TURNIX BLANFOED^C BLYTH.
(Turnix maculatus)

Description. — Length 7 inches.
" Upper mandible and tip of the
lower brown, remainder of bill, feet,
and clawlif^ris white or yellowish
white."

It looks like a small quail, but has
only three toes by which it may be
readily identified.

Crown dark brown. Cheeks pale
yellow bordered with brown. There
is sometimes a large rusty red nuchal
spot. Back, black, red and ashy
intricately mixed. Wing coverts light
yellow with black spots. Breast bright
rufous with many round black spots on
the sides. Abdomen white.

Distribution. — All over China. A
summer visitant in the Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — The nests are very
simple aifairs, usually mere grass-lined
depressions in the ground. The eggs
of this bird have been described as
having a 'very smooth and glossy
texture; a greyish- white ground color,
thickly speckled with reddish brown
and purple of various shades over paler
purple underlying spots ; a pyriform-

( 53 )

ovate or peg-top shape.' There are
four to a clutch.

Notes. — Its flight is slower and more
rail-like than that of the common quail.
Usually it is a shy bird passing its life
in the thickets, but during migration
it seems to become very bold or per-
haps bewildered.

Family.— Phasianidae, Pheasants and quails.

This family is composed of birds
with stout, compact bodies, short,
rounded, and concave wings which
fit closely to the body.

They are re'presented in the Yangtse
Valley by two sub-families.

Sub-Family, Perdiclnae, Old World Quails and
Partridges.

This large group of some 25 genera
and 150 species diflers quite sharply
from the American forms in having no
serrations on the cutting edge of the
lower mandible. On the other hand the
line between them and the Pheasants
(Phasianidae) is at best only an artificial
one. The Perdicinae may be dis-
tinguished from the Pheasants by their
short tails and wing quills, the first
primary always being equal to or longer
than the tenth.

Only two species of this family are
found in the Yangtse Valley.

COMMON QUAIL.

COTURNIX COTURNIX (l).
(Coturnix communis Bonnat.)

Description. — Length seven and one
half inches. Bill greyish brown above,
greenish blue beneath, tip yellowish.
Legs, toes, and claws greyish yellow
brown. Iris hazel.

( 54 )

Crown dark brown with lighter
median stripe. Upper parts in general
different shades of brown, conspicuous-
ly marked with pale yellowish pointed
stripes, the feather also being finely
barred with lighter brown. Throat
pale brown generally, breast with
darker bands, tints growing paler
toward abdomen which is almost
white. Breast feathers finely streaked
with whitish.

Female lighter in color.

There is considerable variation in
tints in different individuals.

Distribution. Europe and Asia.
Common resident in the Yangtse
Valley.

Nest and Eggs.— " A slight hollow in
the ground, with little or no lining and
sheltered by standing crops or grass "
is the nest according to Ogilvie-Grant.
The lining is often present and consists
of bits of grass, dry straw and similar
common things.

" Eggs eight to twelve in number,
sometimes more, are laid ; creamy
white or buff, more or less boldly
blotched and spotted with rich brown."

Notes. — These birds are frequently
met with feeding in small coveys, we
have never seen a large one, along the
grassy paths of the paddy fields or the
grass covered grave mounds, but they
sometimes take to very thick cover and
are hard to get out.

Hudson has likened his three syllable,
shrill, piping call, to the sound of the
words, " wet my lips ", or " wet my
feet," according to the fancy of the
hearer. This is a common call early
in the morning and late in the afternoon
in the country during the mating
season.

( 55 )

The Japanese form (Ooturnix
japonica) is also sometimes found in
the Yangtse Valley. lb can scarcely
be considered more than a sub-species;
it differs from the common quail in
having lanceolate feathers on the
throat and upper neck.

BAMBOO PARTEIDGE. (BAMBOO
CHICKEN).

BAMBUSICOLA THORACICA (tEMM).

Description. — Length 11 inches.
Upper parts olive brown, spotted vpith
reddish and darker brown, and mixed
with white, feathers vermiculated.
Throat rusty red. Large grey band
across the breast and abdomen followed
by one of rusty red. Rest of under
parts buff spotted with black in front.
Flanks marked with large blackish
spots. Eyebrow stripe grey.

The young are very similar, but lack
grey markings.

Distribution. — South and Central
China, not passing north of the Yangtse
River. Resident in the thickets
among the hills up to 2,000 feet.

Nest and Eggs.--The nest is generally
placed under a bunch of thick grass
or a dense, small shrub. The eggs
usually number from 7 to 12 in a
clutch and are creamy brown in color.

Notes. — This bird is found chiefly in
dense thickets and jungles and usually
roosts in a tree. Except during the
breeding season, when they live in
couples, they are met with in small
coveys, making a tremendous com-
motion when they are flushed.

In many respects they resemble the
American Bob- white (Colinus) both in
habits and appearance, though they

( 56 )

are distinctly larger, and take less to
the open fields.

The male has a great variety of calls,
some of them very loud. The cluck of
the feviale closely resembles the
resonant sound made by striking the
hollow wooden "fish-head" used by
the Buddhists.

Sub-Family, Phasianinae, Pheasants.

This family, though closely allied to
the foregoing, may be distinguished by
their larger size, elegant plumage, long
tails, and by the first primary of the
wing always being shorter than the
tenth.

This family comprises about 20
genera, and upwards of 100 species of
which 4ad are found in China and two
in the Yangtse Valley.

EING-NECKED PHEx\SANT.

PHASIANUS TORQUATUS GM.
(P. holdereri kiangsuensis Buturlin.)

Description. — Length 25 inches.
Tail 20 inches in the male. Bill
ivory white, shaded darker in the
female. Iris yellow. Legs light bluish
slate color.

Male. — Head and upper neck
irridescent, dark, purplish green, ex-
cept the crown and nape which are
light bronze green in the center with
a white line on either side, and the
space around the eye which is covered
with very short red, hairlike feathers
dotted with black ones. There is a
pure white collar more or less com-
plete around the neck.

The lower neck and upper back are
richly marked with black, white, and
yellow ; the scapulars with rufous,
white, and black ; and the general

( 57 )

color of the lower back, rump, and
upper tail coverts is irridesoent bluish
slate color with a rusty red patch on
each side. The flanks are orange-
color, spotted black. Breast rich
irridescent chestnut, each feather very
narrowly margined purple. The
wings are a mixture of gray and dull
white with some rufous on the
coverts.

The tail feathers are a buffy- gray,
barred black at the center and rufous
toward the edge. The two oukuf cfc>a4X:=a-
quills are the longest.

The white collar on a very dark
purplish green neck is the distinguish-
ing feature.

Female lacks the brilliant color of
the male.

The same short red feathers occur
around the eye, but the dots are grey.

The whole plumage is mottled black,
chestnut, and ochraceous grey with a
greyer cast to the lower parts and
frequently more or less rufous washing
on the upper parts.

The tail is also much shorter.

Distribution. — Siberia, Korea, and
China and resident throughout its
range. It has been introduced into
both Europe and America.

Nest and Eggs. — The nest is placed
in tall grass or weeds and these usually
arch over it so as to hide it. The
lining is a very simple mass or pad of
grass or similar material.

The eggs are yellowish olive and
vary from 7 or 8 to 12 in a clutch.

Notes. — This bird is unfortunately
decreasing every year in numbers. The
inroads made upon them, by the
gunners who shoot for the sake of
shooting only and kill their bags of
scores before they are satisfied, are

( 58 )

reducing them too rapidly for them to
be common much longer. Then too,
the killing of them for the purpose of
shipping to foreign countries is making
an unreasonable demand upon them.
In addition to these there is the
Chinese sportsman, rather professional
hunter, who shoots right through the
year, and the countrymen who take
the eggs to eat or sell. Some adequate
protection is- needed and must soon be
forthcoming or our most prized game
bird will soon be a thing of the past.

DABWIN'S PHEASANT.

PUCEASIA DARWINI SWINHOE.

Descriptio7i. — Length 23 inches.
Bill dusky black. Feet plumbeous
blue. Iris brown.

Male. — Head and throat black with
greenish metallic reflections. Occipital
crest of short brown feathers in front,
with longer black ones behind. There
is a white spot on each side of the
upper neck.

Back and rump streaked ashy grey
and brownish black. Lower parts
ochraceous brown streaked black ex-
cept the abdomen, which is rufous,
and a dark rufous band running from
the base of the tliroat down the center
of the breast and belly to the
abdomen.

The tail is of medium length,
graduated and streaked longitudinally
gray, black, and rufous. Under tail-
coverts mixed white, black, and
rufous.

Female is similar to the male,
except that it has a smaller crest and
lacks the pectoral rufous band.

( 59 )

Distrihition. — South China, resident
throughout its range. Common to the
mountainous regions of Fokien and
Chekiang Provinces. It is frequently
taken on Mohkanshan.

Phasiauus reevesii Gray, Reeves'
Pheasant has also been taken in the
Yangtse Valley and Pucrasia joretiana
Courtois has been taken in Anhwei
Province.

ORDER, GROIFORMES, CRANE-LIKE BIRDS.

The characteristics of this order are:
toes four ; middle toe without a comb
and generally not webbed ; hind toe
generally small and higher than the
front ones, or, if on the same level, as
in the Gallinules, the bill is then
comparatively short stout, and the
forehead has a bare frontal shield ; lores
feathered, or in the Cranes with hair-
like bristles.

Family, Rallidae, Rails, Coots, Gallinules.

This family is composed of medium
sized wading or swimming birds distin-
guished by ext^me narrowness, or
compression of the body. They have
long necks, small heads, short bills, and
short rounded concave wings. The
legs are long in proportion to the size
of the bird, and, like the feet, quite
strong.

Rails and Gallinules are not strictly
gregarious, but are usually associated
through a community of interest, while
Coots are as a rule found in flocks.
Rails inhabit grassy marshes, in which
they seek safety by running or hiding,
taking to wing only as a last resort.
Their flight is then short and labored,
and with dangling legs they soon

( 60 )

drop into cover. Nevertheless they
perform extended migrations, travelling
hundreds of miles without resting.
Gallinules live near the marshy borders
of bodies of v^^ater, while the more
aquatic Coots resemble Ducks in their
habits.

This family has about 180 species,
of which China posesses 11, all of which
occur in the Yangtse Valley.

INDIAN WATER RAIL.

RALLUS INDICUS, BLYTH.

DescriiJtion. — Length about 13
inches. Bill red and longer than the
bead. Legs and feet light brownish.
Iris red.

Plumage above olive-brov/n marked
with black ; black more conspicuous
on head, and brown on the rump.
Throat whitish. Breast blue-grey
washed with brown. Abdomen red-
dish brown, flanks bordered with white.
Lower tail coverts are black and have
white edges. The wing has a white
edge.

Distribution. — Siberia, China, and
Japan to India. It is a summer
visitant in the Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — A nest of the
European bird is thus described by
Sharpe : — " 'It was about a foot from
the ground, but had a solid foundation
under it, formed by the roots of the
clump of bushes, in the midst of which
it was built. It was carefully made of
flat sedge and the flat leaves of the
reed, lined with dry broken pieces of
round slender reeds. '

"The eggs were five to seven
in number, but sometimes as many as
eleven. Ground color creamy or

( 61 )

pinkish-stone, with a few spofcs of
rufous distributed over tiie egg, or
clustering towards tlie larger end. The
egg is double spotted, the underlying
spots being lilac-grey, nearly as distinct
as the overlying ones. As a rule, the
rufous spots are small, but occasionally
they are large and form blotches
towards the big end of the egg."

Notes. — This bird is much like the
European bird R. aquaticus, differing,
however, in that " the adult male of R.
indicus is darker and more ochraceous
brown and distinguished by its whitish
eyelid. There is also a distinct streak
of ochraceous brown spotted with
black running through the eye and
extending along the ear coverts which
is lacking in the European bird."

MOORHEN.

GALLINULA CHLOEOPUS (l.)
Description. — Length 14 inches.
Frontal plate and basal half of bill
red, the other part greenish yellow.
Iris red. Legs greenish-yellow^ red-
dish orange above the tarsal joint, toes
very long.

Upper parts dark olive-brown.
Head, neck, and under parts slate,
grey, with some white streaks on the
flanks. Under tail-coverts white at
the sides and black in the center.
Young birds have head and upper
parts olive brown ; throat, front neck,
and a spot under the eyes whitish ;
below pale-grey.

Distribution. — The greater part of
Africa, Europe, India, Japan, Siberia
and throughout China generally. It is
a Summer visitant in the Yangtse
Valley.

( 62 )

Nest and Erjgs. — The nesfc of this
bird in India is " a bulliy platforoa of
straw, flags, or rushes, in the water or
close to it, sometimes in a bush. The
eggs, 5 to 9 in number, are pale stone-
color, spotted and speckled with red,
reddish brown, and purple."

Notes. — The moorhen swims and
dives with ease, and feeds a good deal
in the water, usually keeping near a
convenient cover in which it takes
refuge on the slighest alarm. When
hunted, it dives and is able to remain
submerged for an indefinite time by
grasping the weeds at the bottom with
its claws and keeping its nostrils above
the surface. It feeds on worms, slugs,
all kinds of insects and also on
vegetable food.

WHITE-BEEASTED WATER

HEN.

AMAURORNIS PHOENICURUS (PENN.)
[Gallinula phoenicura (Penn)] .

Description. — Length 13 inches.
Bill green shading to red on front part.
Legs and feet green with yellowish
tinge. Iris reddish brown.

Plumage of upper parts greyish black
with metallic reflections. Lower belly
and under tail-coverts chestnut red.
Forehead, sides of head, and under
parts white. " Outer margin of first
primary and edge of wing white.
In young birds the forehead, crown,
and upper parts generally are olive-
brown, and the white of the face and
under parts obscured by the dusky
tips to the feathers."

Distrihution. — India, Philippines,
South and Central China. It is a
summer visitant in the Yangtse
Valley, common in the paddy fields.

( 63 )

Nest and Eggs. — The nest is some-
times placed on the ground, but mora
often in the tangle of vegetation which
covers so much of the surface of our
shallow ponds or lakes. It consists of
a pad of grass, leaves and other similar
materials often placed ui^on a founda-
tion of small twigs.

The eggs, from four to eight in
number, are a deep cream-color, or
even pinkish at times, spotted, streaked,
and blotched with brownish red and
violet.

Notes. — This bird is rather common
throughout the summer in the fields
planted with the rice or other thick
growths that form so much of the
Chinese food crops and occasionally
they perch in low trees and utter their
call. They begin their calls early in
the morning and they are taken up
again late in the afternoon. They are
easy to hear, but difificult to see, for they
hide away in the deep growth and are
so shy that they rarely come out. Our
usual view of this bird alive has been
the hurried glimpse as it ran across the
little ridges that divide one field from
another. When one approaches, the
call ceases and it is hard even to flush
the bird from its hiding place.

But twice we have had it sit in plain
view on the water near the edge of the
reeds bordering a small pond allowing
itself to be watched for some minutes.
In both cases it showed considerable
curiosity as to our movements and
evinced very little fear.

WATEE COCK.

GALLICREX CINEREA (gM.)
Description.— Length 17 inches.
In males the bill and shield are red,

( 64 )

anterior portion of the bill duller. Iris
red, eyelids plumbeous. Legs and toes
red. In females the bill is yellowish
horny. Iris yellowish brown. Legs
and feet dusky green." The forehead
is covered with a red frontal plate or
shield. Plumage black mixed with
brown above. The female has upper
parts brown mixed with yellow. The
throat is whitish. Under parts light
yellow barred with brown. The under
tail coverts are white in the male and
buff in the female barred in both sexes
with dark brown.

Yotmg birds like females except as
to bars on lower plumage, which are
either lacking or indistinct.

Distribution. — India, Philippines,
South and Central China. Summer
visitant in the Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — The nest is a
shallow pad of dry vegetation, the
outside layer being twisted about the
stalks of herbage which support it.
It is usually about two feet above the
ground.

The eggs are either a glossy greenish
cream color, or sometimes a dull
creamy buff washed reddish, and all
over more or less spotted and blotched
with pale red, with underlying spots
of pale purple. The number and size
of the spots varies quite considerably.

Notes. — The water cock is a shy,
secretive bird living for the most part
concealed in the thick growths along
the banks of streams or in the swamps.
It is best seen about dask in the
mai'shes, when it will frequently come
out on the hummocks or ridges in
plain view. We once came upon one
in a small piece of marshy ground as it
was giving its call. The bii'd, a male,
was so much interested in its own

( 65 )

performances that it did not notice
our approach. Dropping its head
near the ground, with extended neck,
it gave a low rumbling sound for a few
seconds, suddenly broken by a loud
oft repeated call resembling " Keh
toong " or " Keh toonk". Each re-
petition of the call accompanied by
violent contortions as though the bird
were suffering from fearful nausea.

COOT.

FULICA ATE A L.

Description. — Length 16 inches.
Bill and frontal plate white. Legs
green, toes half webbed. Iris red.

The plumage is entirely black or
greyish black.

The black under tail-coverts readily
distinguish the Coots from the Water-
hens.

In yo7ing birds the upper plumage
is brown and the lower plumage partly
white.

Distribution. — Almost cosmopolitan
It is a resident in the Yangtse Valley.

Nests and Eggs. — The nest and eggs,
of the Indian bird are thus described.
" The nest is a huge mass of green
rushes and weeds, sometimes in
shallow water, sometimes floating
amongst reeds. The eggs 7 to 10, or
even 12 in number, are grey or pale
brown, minutely speckled with black
with a few larger purplish-black spots."

These other members of this family
also occur as summer visitants in the
Yangtse Valley, but are less likely to be
seen than those already described : —

Hypotaenidia jouvi (Stej.), Blue-
breasted Banded Bail,

( 66 )

Limnobaenus fuscus (L,), Red-
throated Eail.

Limnobaenus paykulli (Ljungh).

Coturnicops exquisita (Swin.), Ex-
quisite Crake.

Porzana pusilla auricularis (Reich),
Baillon Crake.

Amaurornis coccineipes (Slater),
Crimson-legged Water Hen.

Family, Gruidae, The Cranes.

The bill and tarsi of the Cranes are
both long, and the lores are covered
with bristles. Externally they
resemble the Herons and Storks.
Their wings ai'e long and they fly with
their necks straight out, as do the
Storks, but their toes are short and not
on the same level, the hind one being
especially small and much raised. They
lack both the powder-down patches
and the comb-like nail of the Herons.
Their nostrils are long slits. Cranes
frequent plains and marshes and feed
on all kinds of small animal and
vegetable food.

The family is cosmopolitan in its
range, and contains about 19 species,
of which China has 6, and the Yangtse
Valley 5.

They are all winter visitants and are
as follows : —

Grus lilfordi Sharpe, Gray Crane.

Grus japonensia (Muller), Green-
billed Crane.

GrusmonachusTemm., White-head-
ed Crane.

Pseudogeranus leucauchen (Temm),
Manchurian Crane.

Sarcogeranus leucogeranus (Pall),
White Siberian Crane.

( 67 )

Family, Otidae, Bustards.

Bustards are large bulky birds, with
rather long neck and lank, naked legs.
They have only three toes, all of which
are directed forward. Their strong legs
and feet well adapt them to running,
though they readily take to wing when
pressed. They possess ample wings,
but are largely terrestrial in their
habits, frequenting dry open plains.

The only species found in China
winters in the Yangtse Valley,

EASTERN BUSTARD.

OTIS DYBOWSKII TACZ.

Description. — Bill grey. Legs grey.

Iris brown.

The general color above is " sandy

rufous broadly banded across with

black, lower parts below the breast

white." Head and neck behind and

on the sides clean ashy grey, a few

rufous feathers barred with black at

the side of the neck.

/" Th«--4iistinguishing mark of the\ luc_ i-e^y^ ^ '

species is tfettthe greater wing coverts \ o

are like the back;- the middle row | ^♦^c-v^'''-^ *

being light grey or white lik&the lesser'
: coverts.- The tail feathers are Brcrwijj
\|Lnd white tipped with black.

Distribution. — This Bustard extends

across Siberia to China and Japan. It

breeds in the north and is a winter

visitant in the Yangtse Valley.

Notes. — Mr. Sowerby says that in the
north " the Chinese hunt the Bustard
by digging pits in the ground, and
setting out decoys. They will sib
patiently in these pits, day after day,
and feel repaid for their labor if they
secure two or three birds a week. The
ecoys are made from the skins of the

( 68 )

Bustards, which are stuffed with straw
and stuck upon sticks."

This Bustard is the so-called " wild-
turkey" of the Shanghai markets.

ORDER.— GHARADRIIFORMES, PLOVER-LIKE
BIRDS.

This order is comprised of the
typical Plover-like birds, the Gulls and
and Terns and their allies, and the
Pigeons, which are terrestrial in their
habits. The reasons for connecting
groups of such different appearance
and habits are almost entirely
anatomical.

Distinctive characteristics can best
be given under each family.

Family, Charadriidae, Plovers, Snipe, etc.

This family is composed of wading
birds frequenting the marshes or
shores of bodies of water. They
have mostly rather long necks, slender
legs, long slender bills, short
wings and tails and a dull colored or
streaked plumage.

GREY LAPWING.

MICROSARCOPS CINEREUS (bLYTH)

(Chettusia cinerea Blyth)

(Lobivanellus cinereus Blyth).

Description. — Length 151 inches.
Bill lemon yellow, tipped black. Legs
deep orange yellow. Iris red. Eyelids
bare, yellow. There is a line of bare
yellow skin from the eye to the
gape and a yellow, leaf-shaped plate
of skin on either side at the base of
the bill.

The whole head above and below is
greyish slate color. The neck, back,
rump, and inner tertials are a light

( 69 )

fuscous ; the breast, scapulars, lesser
wing coverts and outer ends of
primaries deeper fuscous. Tiie rest of
the plumage is white except a black
band at the tip of the tail.

No other mottled Lapwing has both
white secondaries and a hind toe.

Distribution. — India, Eastern Asia
and China generally. It is a summer
visitant in the Yangtse Valley, and is
much more plentiful during migration.

Nets and Eggs.— These Plovers nest
in the wheat and paddy fields from
April to June. The nest is generally
placed on the grassy ridges between the
cultivated fields. There are usually
three eggs to the clutch. They are
yellowish-olive in color more or less
heavily spotted and blotched with dark
brown and dull purplish grey.

Notes. — During the nesting season
the male bird guards the nest and the
sitting female, boldly driving away any
other bird which may happen to come
near. Even the large Black-eared
Kites (Milvus melanotis) are un-
hesitatingly attacked and put to rout.
The call is a loud, harsh scream which
is uttered both when on the wing and
from the ground.

LAPWING.

VANELLUS VANELLUS (l).
(Vanellus cristatus W. and M.)

Description. — Length 13 inches.
Bill black. Legs and toes dull orange:
claws black. Iris dark brown.

Forehead, crown, and back of head
black with green reflections and ending
with a crest from one to three inehes
long. Back olive green with purple
and bronze reflections. Throat and

( 70 )

breast black. Neck white on the
sides. Upper and under tail coverts
chestnut buff.

Distribution. — Europe, North Africa
and all Asia. A very common winter
visitant in the Yangtse Valley. They
breed in Mongolia.

Notes. — The Lapwing has a peculiar
call, " pee-weet," from which the bird
is sometimes known as the Peewit.
It is constantly met with in large
numbers in the paddy fields and
marshes where it feeds upon the animal
life so common in such places. It
runs swiftly on the ground, stopping
abruptly to pick up its food. When
danger approaches, it is an adept at
" freezing," or standing motionless, its
mottled coloring often rendering it
invisible, although in plain view, until
the whole flock suddenly rises with a
call similar to the " mew " of a cat.

GEEEN SANDPIPEE, (SNIPPET).

HEL0DE0M]8lS OCHBOPUS (l).
[Tetanus ochropus (L)] .

Description. — Length 9i inches.
Bill straight and grey, green at the
base. Legs brownish green. Iris
brown.

Upper parts greenish brown, streaked
and speckled with white. Upper tail
coverts and tail white, the latter having
four black bars. Upper breast speckled
and streaked with brown. Eest of
lower parts white. Axillaries brown
barred white.

Distribution. Europe, Africa,
Northern parts of America, and Asia.
It occurs in China generally. It is a
winter visitant in the Yangtse Valley,
nesting in Siberia and the far North.

( 71 )

Notes. — This bird never associates
in large flocks, rarely more than four
or five, and is usually solitary or in
pairs. It is quite common along the
edges of streams or in marshy spots
where it seeks its food of worms,
larvae and insects.

The call note is a shrill whistle
something like " cheet." This bird
has the peculiar habit of using the
deserted nests of other birds, such as
Thrushes and Blackbirds, often at a
considerable height from the ground,
though usually not far from some
water.

COMMON SANDPIPER.

ACTITIS HYPOLEUCOS. (l.)
(Totanus hypoleucos L.)

[Tringoides hypoleucos (Swinhoe).]
Description. — Length 7i inches.
Bill greyish brown, darker at the tip,
tinged green at the base. Legs and
toes green. Iris dusky brown.
Plumage above is greenish brown,
barred and striated with black and
grey, each feather having the shaft
black. Tail barred with black. Under
parts, including axillaries.are white and
there are large patches of white on the
IDrimaries and secondaries but none on
the rump or upper tail coverts.

Distribution. — Europe, Africa, Aus-
tralia, India, East Indies, Japan, and
China. It is a resident in the Yangtse
Valley, breeding in China, Siberia, and
Japan.

Nest and Eggs. — The nest is usually
a very slight affair made of moss,
leaves, or grass and placed near the
banks of a body of water. It may be
placed in a hollow, in a bunch of

( 72 )

grass or even on the bare ground.
The eggs, four in number, are buff
spotted and speckled with light and
dark brown.

Notes. — This bird is rather common
and is frequently seen along the edges
of canals, around ponds, and along the
smaller streams.

WOODCOCK.

SCOLOPAX RUSTICOLA L.

Description. — Length fourteen
inches.

" Bill pale reddish-brown, grey at the
base, dark brown towards the tip, the
tip itself dusky ; it is about three inches
long. Iris dark brown, large, prominent,
and placed high up and far back on the
head." Legs short and dark grey.

Top of the head flat, greyish brown
in color. Neck and back a mixtux'e of
several shades of brown, or yellowish
with zigzag bars and black streaks.
The wings are reddish brown, variously
ringed or spotted with darker. Throat
and breast yellowish brown barred with
darker.

Distribution. — Europe, Asia, and
North Africa. Common winter visitant
in the Yangtse Valley.

Notes. — This bird is more common
through the winter in South and
Central China than in the north. It
feeds on worms, insect larvae, and
insects, boring for them with its long
bill.

The colors of the Woodcock which
comprise brown, yellow, rufous, black,
■white and grey, harmonize well with
the cover under which the bird lies.
When flushed, it makes a most
erratic flight, often returning to a spot

( 73 )

near the place from which it was
started.

FAN-TAIL SNIPE.

GALLINAGO GALLINAGO (l.)
(Gallinago coelestis Frenz.)

Description. — Length about 11
inches.

Bill brown, paler at base. Iris
brown. Legs yellowish green.

Upper parts a mixture of black,
grey, and reddish with rufous spots.
Throat, breast, and under tail coverts
grey spotted with brown. Abdomen
white iDarred with black on the flanks.

This bird is similar in a general way
to the other snipes, but there are four
buff stripes extending down the back
(pale in winter) being the outside
margins of the scapulars, which are
brown in the center. These points
together with the 14 tail feathers, all
approximately of the same width,
serve to identify the bird.

Distribution. — Europe, Asia, and
Africa. This snipe is a winter visitant
in the Yangtse Valley, being more or
less common from September to May.
It breeds in the North.

Notes. — " Late in March or early in
April the snipes pair, and it is then
that the males begin to practice their
curious aerial exercises, familiar to any
one who observes wild bird life, and
about which so much had been said by
ornithologists. The performance takes
place at all hours of the day, but chiefly
towards evening, the bird rising to an
immense height in the air, and pre-
cipitating himself downwards with
astonishing violence, producing in his
descent the peculiar sound variously

( 74 )

describedas drumming, bleating, scythe-
whetting, and neighing. As to how
the sound is produced opinions differ
still, although the question has been
discussed for more than a century.

Probably it is part vocal and partly
produced by the wing feathers."

SWINHOE'S SNIPE (GREATER
SPRING SNIPE).

GALLINAGO MEGALA SWINHOE.

Description. — Length 11| inches.
Upper parts are a mixture of black,
grey and reddish, with rufous spots.
Rump uniform brown. Throat, breast
and under tail coverts grey, spotted
with brown. Abdomen white barred
with black on flanks.

There are twenty rectrices in the
tail, the first three external pairs are
acuminted, the next three pairs narrow,
while the central four pairs are moder-
ately broad.

Distribution. — From the Philippines
to Eastern Siberia, Passes the Yangtse
Valley- on migration.

Notes. — This bird is quite common
in Shantung — rarer in the Yangtse
Valley — in both the spring and the
autumn migrations. It frequents the
rice fields, water courses, the swamps,
and may be found in any place where
there is enough moisture to make its
food abundant.

PIN-TAIL SNIPE, (LESSER
SPRING SNIPE.)

GALLINAGO STENURA BP.
Description. — Length 11 inches.
Plumage is very similar to Gallinago
megala, but perhaps a little more

( 75 )

rufous on the upper parts, while the
bill and legs are also a little shorter.

The tail has twenty six rectrices, the
eight lateral pairs being very narrow,
while the five central pairs are
moderately broad.

Distribution. — India, through China
up to Siberia. Passes Yangtse Valley
on migration and breeds in Eastern
Siberia.

Notes. — The Pintail Snipe are usual-
ly more abundant in the Spring when
they are often found in large, loose
flocks scattered through the young
wheat. They have a very peculiar
way of alighting, tilting backwai'd
until the tail points almost straight
downward before reaching the ground.

PAINTED SNIPE.

ROSTRATULA BENGHALENSIS (l).
[Ehynchaea capensis (L).]

Description. — Length ten and one
half inches.

Bill greenish at the base, white in
the middle, and red at the end. Legs
greenish blue. Iris greenish brown.

Crown olive brown wish buff median
line. White region round the eye is
prolonged toward the nape. Back olive,
with wavy lines of dark brown, and
mixed with grey, green and yellow.
Upper tail coverts grey, yellow, and
rufous mixed, with fine transverse lines.
Rectrices, from 14 to 16 in number,
have round, rufous spots on the extei-nal
shafts. Sides of neck and throat olive
brown, spotted with white and black.
Abdomen white.

The Female is even more richly
colored and has in addition on the
upper breast a band of black.

{ 76 )

Distribution. — Warm regions of
Asia, Africa, Australia, East Indies,
and Japan.

This bird is a residenfa in the Yangtse
Valley though not common. It breeds
throughout its range.

Nest and Eggs. — The nest is placed
on the grassy ridges between the paddy
fields, or in marshes, or similar loca-
tions. It is usually a small hollow
lined with a pad of grass or rushes.
There are usually four eggs in a clutch.
The ground color of the eggs is usually
a light yellow and they are spotted and
streaked with brown of two shades
with a few greyish spots.

Notes. — This snipe is more common
in Spring, but is rarely found in large
numbers, the rule being in singles or
small groups.

The following additional representa-
tives of this family also occur in the
Yangtse Valley, but are so rare that
they are not often met with : —

Eecurvirostra avosetta L., Avocet.

Himantopus himantopus (L), Black-
winged Stilt.

Gallinago solitaria Hodgs., Solitary
Snipe.

Tringa canutus L., Knot.

Tringa crassirostris T. and S., Big-
billed Knot.

Erolia ferruginea (Brunn), Curlew
Stint.

Pelidna alpina (L), Dunlin.

Pisobia damacensis (Hors.), Long-
toed Stint.

Pisobia platyrhyncha (Temm),
Broad-billed Stint.

Pisobia acuminata (Horsf.), Sharp-
tailed Stint.

Pisobia temminckii (Leisler), Tem-
minck's Stint.

( 77 )

Pisobia ruficollis (Pall), Red-necked
Stint.

Calidris leucophaea (Pall), Sander-
ling.

Eurynorhynchus pygmaeus (L),
Spoon-bill Sandpiper.

Rhyacophilus glareola (L), Wood
Sandpiper.

Totanus totanus (L), Red-sbank.

Totanus erythropus (Pall), Spotted
Red-shank.

Glottis nebularius (Gunn.), Green-
shank.

Heteractitis brevipes (Vieil), Eastern
Wandering Tattler.

Terekia cinerea (Gued), Terek
Sandpiper.

Limosa lapponica baueri (Naum.),
Pacific Godwit.

Limosa limosa (L), Black-tailed
Godwit.

Limnodromus taczanowski (Ver.)

Numenius phaeopus variegatus
(Scop.), Eastern Whimbrel.

Numenius arquatus lineatus Cuv.,
Eastern Curlew.

Mesoscolopax minutus (Gould),
Little Curlew.

^gialitis alexandrina (L), Kentish
Plover.

iEgialitis placida (Grey), Hodgson's
Ringed Plover.

iEgialitis dubia (Scopoli), Little
Ringed Plover.

Ochthodromus mongolus (Pall),
Mongolian Sand Plover,

Ochthodromus veredus (Gould),
Eastern Dotterel.

Ochthodromus geoffroyi (Wag.),
Geoffroy's Sand Plover.

Squatarola squatwola (L), Grey or
Black-bellied Plover.

Charadrius fulvua Gm., Eastern
Golden Plover.

( 78 )

Arenaria infcerpres (L), Turnsfcono.
Haematopus osculans. Swin., Oyster
Catcher.

Family, Glareolidae, the Pratincoles.

Pratincoles are small shore birds
with very long pointed wings and long,
deeply forked tails. They have four
toes, the outer and the middle ones
being united by a short web, while the
middle toe has a distinct comb-like
claw. Their deeply forked tails and
rapid flight suggests the Swallows, and
like them they often take their food on
the wing.

There are about 20 species in the
family of which China has only one.

It is Glareola maldivarum Fors.,
Eastern Pratincole. This bird is a rare
winter visitant in the Yangtse Valley.

Family, Jacanldae, the Jacanas or Water
Pheasants.

The Jacanas are a small, well marked
group of marsh frequenting birds. The
name Jacana (pronounced " Hasana ")
is of Brazilian origin. In spite of their
Eail-like appearance and habits they
are now conceded to be most closely
related to the Plovers.

The most marked characteristic is
their enormously long toes and claws
which enable them to walk with ease
over the water lillies and other aquatic
plants of the ponds and marshes.

They have a rather short neck,
small head and moderately long bill.

The point of the wing is armed with
an unusually long spur.

Jacanas are widely distributed, rang-
ing through the whole tropical and
sub-tropical region. Their habits are
everywhere very similar. They frequent

( 79 )

slow streams and marshes, feeding on
seeds and tender bits of vegetation, as
well as crustaceans and insects.

The family is made up of about a
dozen species, of which only one is
found in China,

PHEASANT-TAILED JACANA.

hydrophasianus chirurgus
(scop).

Description. — Length of male 24
inches ; female 18 inches. In summer,
the bill is bluish. Legs and feet lead-
gray. Iris brown.

In summer plumage, the head and
throat are white. Neck yellow. Wings
white, washed with yellow. The
remainder of body chocolate brown,
dull below, bright above, with metallic
reflections. In flight, the wings appear
white with black tips. The tail which
is black, is ten inches long and
graduated. There is a spur at the
bend of the wing.

In autumn it is much modified, the
sharp contrasts being lessened and a
more sober light brown taking their
places. The long tail feathers are also
dropped. Both sexes are alike.

Distribution. — Malaysia, Philippines,
South and Central China.

It is a summer visitant in the
Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — The nest is a large,
roughly constructed mass of rushes,
weeds, or stems of aquatic plants.
Sometimes it is built to float freely
upon the surface of the water or at
other times placed among the thickly
growing reeds. The eggs, four in a
clutch, 'are flat-ended, peg-topped in
shape and range in color from yellowish
olive to greenish bronze. When fresh

( 80 )

the eggs are smooth and glossy, hut
the gloss seems to wear off as incuba-
tion proceeds.'

Notes. — This species frequents more
or less open waters and does not seem
to be especially careful about conceal-
ing itself. It may be seen in the larger
lakes and marshes, running about over
the lily pads or swimming back and
forth. Its food consists largely of shell
fish. Its cry is said to resemble that
of a kitten.

Family, Larldae, the Gulls and Terns.

This family contains about 100
species, divided nearly equally between
the two sub-families. About one
fourth of the known species occur in
China.

Sub-Family, Larlnae, the Gulls.

The upper mandible of the Gulls is
curved, but not swollen at the end.
The tail is generally white, sometimes
tipped with black ; the tail feathers of
about equal length.

Gulls are chiefly maritime and
pelagic. In flight the bill points
forward in the plane of the body.
They procure their food largely by
picking it from the surface of the
land or water with their strongly
hooked bills, and not by plunging or
darting. The food consists of fish and
other aquatic life, and also very largely
of refuse of all sorts which accumulates
on the surface of harbors and bays.
Inland they sometimes feed on insects,
such as grasshoppers, etc.

Gulls pass much time resting on the
water. They nest in colonies usually
on the ground. The seasonal change
in their plumage is not great, and
affects chiefly the color of the head.

( 81 )

The heads of species black-headed in
summer turn white in winter, while
the white-headed Gulls of the summer
usually have dark streaked heads
during the winter.

Five species of Gulls are commonly
found along the China coast, at or near
the mouth of the Yangtse Eiver.

YELLOW-LEGGED HEBEING
GULL.

LARUS CACHINNANS (pALL).

Description. — Length 23 inches.
Bill yellow with a red spot on the
lower mandible. Feet and legs yellow.
Skin around the eye vermilion.

Head white in summer, streaked
with brown in winter. Neck and
under parts white. Mantle light blue
grey. The light pattern on the inner
webs of the primaries is very distinct
and wedge-shaped. Tail white. Wing
primaries black.

Young birds are mottled grey and
brown. The bill is horn color and the
legs dark. The tail has a dark sub-
terminal band. Full adult plumage is
not assumed until the third year.

This Gull resembles very closely
the European Herring Gull, (Larus
argentatus), differing only in the color
of the bill and feet, and that its mantle
is slightly darker.

Distribution. — Eastern Siberia and
the coasts of China and Japan, west-
ward across Asia and down to the
Mediterranean Sea. In China, it is
occasionally found at some distance
from the sea.

It winters in the Yangtse Valley and
nests in the North.

( 82 )
COMMON GULL.

LAEUS CANUS (h).

Description. — Length 17 inches.
Bill yellow toward the tip and gray
green at the base. Legs green with a
reddish tinge.

Mantle pale blue-grey. Eest of
plumage white with the exception of
the primaries which are black with
patches of white on both webs and
the third to the sixth quill have white
tips.

In winter, the head and neck are
streaked with brown.

Adult birds are distinguished by the
entirely white tail.

Yowig birds have the bill black near
the tip and reddish brown at the base.
The head is streaked with brown in
the first year, but in the summer of
second year both the head and neck
become white. In the first year, the
breast is mottled with brownish and
the back is brownish grey, each
feather bordered with grey. For the
first two years, the tail has a dark
brown terminal band for about one
third of its length.

Distribution. — Europe, Asia, and
Africa.

Common along the coast during the
winter, but it nests further north.

BLACK-TAILED GULL.

LARUS CRASSIROSTRIS (viEILL.)
[Larus melanurus (T. & S.)]

Description. — Length 17 inches. This
Gull closely resembles the Common
Gull (L. canus), but is distinguished by

( 83 )

the zones of the black and red on its
bill and by the subterminal black band
on the tail at all seasons in both adults
and young.

Immature birds have three fourths
of the tail nearly black while the
immature of the Common Gull (L,
canus) have only one third dark brown.

Distribution. — This is the common
Gull of China and Japan. It winters
in the Yangtse Valley and goes North
to breed in North China, Eastern
Siberia, and Japan.

It is found in large numbers on the
China coast and sometimes on large
bodies of water far in the interior.

LAUGHING GULL.

LARUS RIDIBUNDUS (l).

Description. — Length 16 inches.
Bill and legs red. Iris brown, eyelids
red.

In winter plumage, the head and
under parts are white and the mantle
bluish grey. The tail is white. The
primaries are black with grey outer
webs.

In summer, the head of the adult
bird is dark brown.

Young birds are mottled with brown
and do not have the dark head in
summer. The characteristic mark of
this bird is the red bill which is much
smaller and less swollen at the tip
than the larger Gulls.

Distribution. — Europe and Asia. It
is a winter visitant in the Yangtse
Valley and breeds further north.

( 84 )
SAUNDER'S GULL,

LARUS SAUNDERSI (SWINHOE.)
[Lr^vegfte- (St6jr>]

Description. — This small gull closely
resembles the Laughing Gull (Larus
ridibundus), bufc differs from it in
three particulars.

1. — The bill is short, strong, and
black in color at all seasons.

2. — The eyes are black.

3. — The head in summer in bronze
black instead of dark brown.

Distribution, — China, nesting north
to Mongolia and wintering in the
Yangtse Valley and to the south.

This is the Gull most frequently
seen on the fresh water of the interior.

Sub-Family, Sterninae the Terns.

Bill straight and sharply pointed —
not hooked ; outer tail feathers
generally longer than the middle ones.
Terns are littoral, never pelagic. They
inhabit the shores of bodies of both
fresh and salt water, but are more
abundant on the sea coast. They
capture their prey of small fish by
plunging into the water, frequently
disappearing and swimming a few feet
beneath the surface.

In flight the bill points downward.
On the wing Terns are strong, rapid
and graceful. The flight is unlike that
of any other bird. Buoyant and
slightly wavering, it reminds one of the
high, apparently uncertain flight of some
large-winged butterflies. On account
of their unusual powers of flight they
have been called Sea-swallows.

Terns nest in colonies, usually on
the ground.

Six species of Terns frequent the
Yangtse Valley and coast region.

( 85 )
CASPIAN TEEN.

HYDRO^GNE CASPIA (PALLAS).

Description. — Length 22 inches.
"Bill coral red in summer, dull in
winter, with the terminal portion
dusky. Iris dark brown. Legs and
feet black."

This is the largest of the Terns and
one of the handsomest.

It is readily recognized by the strong,
sharp, red bill, black legs, and black
occipital crest.

The general color of the upper
plumage is pearl grey and the under
parts white.

Distribution. — It is practically world-
wide in its distribution. It passes the
Yangtse Valley on migration and is
most commonly seen along the coast,
though it is occasionally found on the
lakes and marshes of the interior.

David remarks that he only met with
this Tern in couples, but small flocks
were repeatedly seen by Dr. Bergen in
Chef 00 harbor.

THE WHITE-WINGED BLACK

TEEN.

htdeochelidon leucoptera
(temm.)

Description. — Length 10 inches.
Bill and legs red. Iris dark brown.
Abdomen, under tail coverts, and tail
are white. The wing quills are grey.
The rest of the plumage is a deep black.

Distribution. — Europe, North Africa
and Asia. It passes the Yangtse Valley
on migration. This Tern is found
along the China coasts and also
frequently on the inland waters.

( 86 )

CHINESE LITTLE TEEN.
(WHITE-SHAFTED TBRNLET.)

STEENA SINENSIS (gM.).

Description. — Length 9i inches.
" Bill in summer yellow, broadly
tipped with black ; in winter, dark
brown." Iris brrown. Legs orange red.

Crown black spotted white in winter,
with a white forehead and a black
nape. Upper parts are blue-grey and
the under parts are white washed grey.
The shafts of the three outer primaries
are white. The tail is white. This
bird closely resembles the European
Little Tern (Sterna minuta), but it is
a little larger.

Distribution. — The East Indies,
Australia and Eastern Asia. It passes
the Yangtse Valley on migration.

FOEKED TAIL TEEN.

STEENA HIEUNDO (l).
[Sterna fluviatilis (Neum)]

Description. — Length 16 inches.
Bill, legs, and feet red ; the bill shades
to black at the tip.

Crown black, forehead white, and
the nape mottled in winter. The rest
of the upper parts are pearly-grey or
greyish blue. The under parts are
white.

In summer, the breast is washed
with grey and the forehead and nape
are black.

Distribution. — Almost cosmopolitan.
This bird occurs in China both along
the coast and on inland waters. It
passes the Yangtse Valley on migra-
tion.

( 87 )

Tho following member of this group
has also been taken in the Yangtse
Valley :—

Hydrochelidon hybrida (Pall),
Whiskered Tern.

Family, Columbidae, Pigeons and Doves.

The 300 known species of this
family differ widely in their habits and
haunts. When drinking they do not
raise their heads as do other birds to
swallow, but keep the bill immersed
until the draught is finished. The
young are hatched naked and are fed
by regurgitation.

China has 15 species of this family,
of which 3 frequent the Yangtse Valley.

SPOTTED-NECKED DOVE.

SPILOPELIA CHINENSIS SCOP.
[Turtur chinensis CScop)] .

Description. — Length 121 inches.
Bill plumbeous. Legs deep pink. Iris
orange colored. Upper parts brown,
feathers bordered rufous.

Scapulars and wing coverts bordered
with bright rufous. Eump silvery blue.
Under parts grey washed with rose.
Wings and base of tail brown. This
bird has a patch of the black feathers
at the side of the neck, each marked
at the tip with a small. white circle
having a black center. These patches
sometimes meet at the back of the
neck forming a demi-coUar : this is the
distinguishing characteristic of this
bird.

Distrihution. — All of Asia, China,
and Japan. It is occasionally seen in
Europe. A very common resident in
the Yangtse Valley.

( 88 )

Nest and Eggs. — These birds nest
freely around the foreign style houses
in this portion of China, using any con-
venient projection forming a shelf on
which a nest may be placed. They
seem especially partial to thick vines
or shrubbery in close proximity to the
house. The clutch consists of two
pure white eggs.

Notes. — This is one of the common
breeders on the Soochow University
Campus. Every spring, two or three
pairs of these birds come around to
hunt for suitable nesting places and
may be frequently seen in pairs on the
chimneys or the ridges of the roofs,
gently cooing to one another. During
the winter months they rai'ely come
about, though they may be found
feeding in the fields and thickets around
the Chinese houses or grave mounds.

BLUE PIGEON.

TURTUR ORIENTALIS (lATH).
(Turtur rupicola Bp.)

Description. — Length about 13 in-
ches. Bill blackish grey. Feet dull
purplish lake. Iris orange yellow,
eyelids pale blue.

Upper parts olive grey. Crown
blue grey. Neck, breast, and abdomen
rosy lavender. Nape and sides of
neck have a demicollar of black,
the feathers tipped with white
or rufous. This gives the effect of a
mottled patch on the side of the neck
which is the easiest mark of identifica-
tion.

Distribution — India and China gene-
rally. It is a common resident in the
Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — The nest is a
loosely constructed one, though pro-

( 89 )

bably more substantial than that of
most of the doves. It is generally in
the pines or cedars on the foothills,
but it may sometimes come quite close
to the settled neighborhoods.

The eggs are white and there are
two to the clutch.

Notes. — These birds gather in flocks
during the winter and are found chiefly
upon the cultivated plains around the
foothills.

EED TUETLE DOVE.

STREPTOPELIA HUMILIS (tEMm).

(Oenopopelia humilis).

[Turtur humilis (Temm.)]

Description. — Length about 9 inches.
Bill black. Legs brown, claws black.
Iris brown.

** The plumage is vinous red, marked
on the head, back, rump, and flanks
with grey, paler on the forehead.
There is a black collar on the hind neck
and the wings and their coverts are
blackish. The under tail coverts are
white; the outer ends of the tail feathers
white to gray on the under side."

The female is pale brown, greyer than
the male.

Distribution. — India, Philippinesand
all China. It is a fairly common resi-
dent in the Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — These Doves
usually build in trees and the nests are
very slight affairs, the eggs often being
visible through the thin structure.
The eggs, two in a clutch, are pale
cream color.

Notes. — This is a lovely bird,
particularly the male in his best
plumage. It is our smallest dove. In
its habits, it is a shy bird and is not
often seen in the vicinity of houses.

( 90 )

Pere David says that ib does not
range further north than the Yellow
Eiver. Dr. Bergen has taken a num-
ber of specimens in Shantung very
near the river and it seems likely that
it may also cross over and go further
north.

ORDER.-CUGULIFORMES, CUGKOO-LIKE
BIRDS.

This order possesses the "yoke toed"
foot caused by the first and fourth toes
being permanently directed backv^ard,
similar to the Woodpeckers. Structu-
rally, hovpever, they quite distinct.

Further characteristics of the order
ai'e largely anatomical and are not
necessary in our present treatment.

Family, Cuculldae, The Cuckoos.

The characteristics of the Cuckoos
are : feet small and weak ; toes two in
front and two behind ; bill medium in
size and length and slightly curved
downward ; tail feathers ten in number
and soft ; contour feathers without an
aftershaft.

Cuckoos are as a rule solitary birds
inhabiting wooded areas. Their flight
is generally weak, and only from tree
to tree. They possess strange vocal
powers, and their weird calls are
frequently the origin of their popular
names. Many species are remarkable
for the irregularity of their breeding
habits, depositing their eggs in the nests
of other birds, and leaving the rearing
of the young to their foster parents.

The young are hatched naked, and
do not pass through a downy stage
before acquiring their feathers.

There are about 225 species of
Cuckoos distributed over the world

( 91 )

China has 16 species, none of which
are peculiar to the country. Five
species frequent the Yangtse Valley.

COMMON CUCKOO.

CUCULUS CANORUS TELEPHONUS
HEINE.

Description. — Length thirteen in-
ches. Bill horn color, yellow at the
base and the edges. Legs and toes
light yellow. Iris greyish or reddish
brown.

Head neck and upper breast ash
grey. Back and wings darker. Abdo-
men white barred with black. Prima-
ries barred on inner webs with white.
Tail long, dark, and graduated, some-
times with a gloss of green on its
upper surface.

The tints of the female incline to
brown rather than grey.

The yo2mg have some of the feathers
and the tail tipped with white.

Distribiction. — Europe, North Africa,
and all Asia. It is a common summer
visitant in the Yangtse Valley.

Breeding Habits and Eggs. — This
cuckoo, like the others of its kind,
does not build a nest or sit upon its
eggs except in very rare cases. It
lays its egg upon the ground and then
takes it in its bill and carries it to the
nest of the bird which it has chosen to
raise its young : sometimes it may lay
the eggs directly into the nest.

The eggs vary greatly in color, but
usually have a ground-color of various
shades of very light green, spotted and
blotched with dark brown and purplish
spots. They are usually much larger
than the eggs of the birds in whose
nests they are deposited.

( 92 )

Notes. — Some one has given this
schedule of travel for the cuckoo : —

"In April come he will ;

In May he sings all day ;

In June he changes his tune ;

In July he prepares to fly ;

In August go he must."

His song consists of two or three
notes which may be thus indicated :
"Kook-koo, Kookook-koo."

INDIAN CUCKOO.

Description. — Length 12 inches.

Bill upper mandible and tip of lower
black, rest of lower mandible yellow.
Feet yellow. Iris brown.

Plumage above fuscous brown, the
head being greyish. Neck and
breast pale grey. Abdomen white
crossed by conspicuous black bands,
rather far apart. Tail brown above
and crossed with large black band
near end ; it is irregularly barred and
spotted white throughout its length.

To identify this bird, note particularly
its large beak, the brown color of the
upper surface of its wings and its band-
ed tail.

Distribution. — India, South and
Central China. Very abundant sum-
mer vistant in the Yangtse Valley. It
usually comes early in May and leaves
toward the last of July or first of
August.

Breeding Habits and Eggs. — This
bird, like the common cuckoo, depends
upon other birds to raise its young for
it after it has laid its eggs in the nest.
These birds have come every year for
the last few years with a colony of
Azure- winged Magpies to a group of
trees near the Soochow University

( 93 )

Campus. On account of the location
of the magpies' nests we have not
been able to examine many of the eggs
and have not found the cuckoo's
among them, but we believe that they
do slip their eggs into their neighbors'
nests and that the magpies do raise
their young for them. If the habit
so often ascribed to the young cuckoos
is really true, we have seen many
evidences of their pushing the smaller
magpies out of the nest. Often they
are found on the ground under the
nests, and it may be that they have
been pushed out by the stronger and
more greedy young cuckoo.

The egg of this bird has a ground
color of pinkish white, specked and
spotted more thickly around the larger
end with round, rich-red markings ; the
smaller end has fewer markings."

Notes. — This bird begins his
call in the early morning and
keeps it up pretty constantly through-
out the day. The call is a whistle of
three or four notes which has been
thus spelled, " kwi-kwohkwok, " or
" Kwikwi-kwohkwok." The Chinese
interpret this as an exhortation to
hurry with their work, " quick, quick,
reap wheat," ."quick, quick, plant
rice," "quick, quick, plant cotton."

The female .oi this bird has a call
also much like a shrill, quick laughter,
or as if made by quick repetition of
the syllable " kuk ".

RED-WINGED CRESTED
CUCKOO.

CLAMATOR COEOMANDUS (l.)
[Coccystes coromandus (L).]
Description. — Length fourteen a/nd
one half inches.

( 94 )

"Bill black ; mouth inside salmon-
color. Iris pale reddish brown ; eyelids
plumbeous. Legs plumbeous, claws
horny,"

Head crested, plumage not barred.
Tail as long as the body. Upper parts
dark metallic green, with incomplete
white collar on the nape. Throat and
breast fawn color. Abdomen light grey.
Under tail coverts dark green. Wings
rufous.

Young birds have most of the feathers
of the upper plumage tipped with pale
rufous, especially noticeable on the
crown.

Distribution. — India, South and
Central China. Summer visita^it on the
hills in the Yangtse Valley. It is not
uncommon on Mokanshan.

Notes. — This bird frequents the hilly
areas and rarely comes to even the
lower hills that are isolated. It has a
loud call that may be heard for quite
a distance. " The call is dissyllabic
and may be written ' Kuk-kuk '."

These other cuckoos have also been
taken in the Yangtse Valley : —

Cuculus optatus (Gould?), Dark or
Hill Cuckoo.

Cuculus intermedius Vahl., Small
Cuckoo.

Hierococcyx fugax nisicolor (Blythj,
Hawk Cuckoo.

ORDER, CORACIIFORMES, ROLLER-LIKE
BIRDS.

The birds composing this group are
arboreal in their habits and quite
cosmopolitan in distribution. In the
majority of cases they nest in holes
and lay white eggs, and the young are
hatched blind and helpless. They

( 95 )

have comparatively short legs and the
nostrils are narrow and slit-like.

Family, Coraciidae, The Rollers.

The Eollers are a small family
confined to the Old World. Their feet
are small and weak, and the toes more
or less united. The wings are long and
broad and the tarsus relatively short.

They are shy birds, distinctly
arboreal in their habits, though strong
active fliers. They have a peculiar
habit of rolling from side to side in
flight, from which they get their
common name. Their food consists of
insects which are taken largely on the
wing.

BROAD BILLED ROLLER.

EURYSTOMUS ORIENTALIS CALONYX

SHARPE.

[Eurystomus orientalis (L).]

(Eurystomus calonyx Sharpe)

Description. — Length 11 inches.

Bill red, tipped with black. Toes red.
Iris dark brown.

Dull green above, bright green below.
Throat with a brilliant blue spot.
Tail black, washed with blue above.
The wing has a large spot of very
light blue, plainly visible in flight ;
outer webs of primaries are deep blue
shading to black toward the tip.

Young birds do not have the blue
spot on the thi.'oat and the plumage of
the head and back is more mixed with
brown.

Distribution. — This handsome bird
is a native of India, but passes the
summer in China in considerable
numbers. It occurs in the Yangtse
Valley on the hills during the summer.

( 96 )

Nest and Eggs, — These birds breed
in boles in the larger branches of tall
trees. They do not build any nest,
but lay their eggs on the bare wood.
In some cases they make use of the
deserted nests of other birds.

They lay three or four pure white
eggs with a faint gloss.

Family, Alcedinidae, The Kingfishers.

The China Kingfishers have small
weak legs and feet ; the fourth toe is
united for more than half its length to
the third, and the second and third are
united at the base. The bill is the most
characteristic feature, it is very large,
straight, and pointed. The wings are
short and rounded but powerful for
their size. The tail is very short.

" Kingfishers are alike remarkable
for their brilliant coloration and for the
variety of curious and aberrant forms
included among their number ". They
are solitary birds of somewhat local
habit. Their food is chiefly composed
of fish, small Crustacea, and similar
water forms.

The family is cosmopolitan, having
some 180 species, of which the majority
are found in the Malay Archipelago.
Six species are found in China, of which
four reach the Yangtse Valley.

LITTLE BLUE KINGFISHER.

ALCEDO ISPIDA BENGALENSIS GM.

(Alcedo bengalensis Gm.)
Description. — Length 6| inches.

Bill long, sharp, and black in the
male ; the female has upper mandible
black shading to orange at base, lower

( 97 )

mandible orange. Legs and feat red.
Iris reddish hazel.

The throat is white. Breast and
abdomen rufous buff. Crown and
nape transversely banded dusky black
and blue. An irregular stripe of
brilliant blue runs down the middle
of the back. A buff stripe under the
eye, continued by a white one. Scapu-
lars and wing coverts greenish blue,
latter tipped with bright blue. Wing
quills deep greenish blue on the outer
webs, inner ones black. Tail very
short, deep blue above, black below.

The female is duller in color.

Distribution. — Europe and Asia
This little kingfisher is a very com-
mon resident in the Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — These little birds
build their nest in deep holes in the
bank, often taking possession of the
burrow of a rat for the purpose. The
whole may be two or three feet in
depth and the eggs may sometimes be
found upon a mass of small fish-bones.
These are thought to have accumulat-
ed there by having been cast up by
the bird rather than having been
Dlaced there as nest material.

The eggs, usually 6 or 7 in a clutch,
are clear white and round in shape.

Notes. — " In spring, these kingfishers
are very noisy and active, chasing each
other about at lightning speed even
among the houses, or through the trees
in the gardens, and uttering a shrill,
' che-et, ' ' che-et '."

In the south of China, the beautiful
azure feathers of this bird are mount-
ed in various settings, making a most
attractive and unique type of jewehy.

( 98 )
BLACK-CAPPED KINGFISHER.

HALCYON PILEATUS (bODD.)

Description. — Length about 12
inches.

Bill and legs red. Iris dark brown ;
a few white feathers under the eyes.

The back is brilliant blue. Head
and wing coverts black. Wing quills
blue at the base, black at the tip ;
there is lighter patch on the middle of
the primaries (except the first which
is wholly black), light blue on the
outer webs and white on the inner weba
of each feather. A complete collar
of nearly white surrounds the
neck. The throat is white. Rest of
under parts rufous buff.

In young birds and some females
there are black spots on the sides of
the breast.

Distribution. — India, Philippines,
and the whole of China. It is a
summer visitant in the Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — This bird nests in
holes in the earth and lays nearly
spherical white eggs similar to those of
the other Kingfishers.

Notes. — This Kingfisher is frequently
to be met with in suitable locations,
but cannot be called at all common.
Its brilliant colors make it a beautiful
sight and as it flashes at its prey in the
water, it looks like a streak of blue.
All of these birds are very patient
sitters, but woe betide the fish that
happens to come frisking by as they sit
waiting for it. Some insist that they
never miss one when they make an
attempt, but we are inclined to believe
that they do sometimes miss.

( 99 )
GREAT SPOTTED KINGFISHER.

CERYLE LUGUBRIS GUTTULATA STEJ.
[Ceryle lugubris rTemm.)]

Description. — Length 16 inches.

Bill black, greenish at the base. Legs
and feet olive green. Iris dark brown.

'Thehead is crested, the crestfeathers
being black with white spots, and there
is a tuft of white feathers in the center
of the crown, while the rest of the
upper surface is barred with grey and
white. Round the hind neck runs a
broad white collar. The under surface
of the body is white. A long spot on
each cheek and a band across the breast
are rufous with black spots. The sides
of the body are white, barred greyish
black. The under wing coverts and
axillaries are white.

' The female is like the male, but does
not have the rufous on the cheeks and
breast band. The under wing coverts
and axillaries are pale rufous, thus
showing the sexual differences which are
one of the characteristics of the genus.'

Distribution. — Japan and China.
Resident, thought not common, in the
Yangtse Valley. It is frequently found
around the mountain streams and pools.

Nest and Eggs. — Hume thus describes
a nest of this bird : — " The entrance
to the nest was a large hole, fully
four inches in diameter, and at the
end was a chamber fully ten inches
across, in which were four young
birds ; in the chamber was a quantity
of fish bones and some grass. The eggs
are usually three or four in number
and the birds are in the habit of
carrying to their young fishes from
six to seven inches in length, and these
are always swallowed whole."

( 100 )

Ceryle rudis insignis Harterfc, Pied
Kingfisher, is a rare summer visitant.

Halcyon coromandus major T. and
S., Ruddy Kingfisher passes the Yangtse
on migration and

Halcyon smyrnensis fuscus Bodd.,
White-breasted Kingfisher has been
taten as a stray by Sty an.

Family, Msropidae, The Bee-Eaters.

The Bee-eaters have small feeble legs
And feet like the Kingfishers, but the
bill is long and slender and gently
curved throughout. They have ten
primaries in the wing and tvrelve tail
feathers. The sexes are alike, or
nearly so, in plumage.

Over 30 species are known, inhabit-
ing the warmer regions of the Old
"World. Only two species occur in
China, one of which reaches the
Yangtse Valley. It is Merops viridis
Linn, the Bee-eater.

Family, Upupidae, The Hoopoe.

Hoopoes have a long slender bill,
curved downward from the base. The
tongue is very short. The tarsus is
short ; the wing is rounded and has ten
primaries ; the tail moderately long,
square, and of ten feathers.

The most marked feature is a splen-
did erectile crest, of which the hinder
feathers are the longer.

The call, which the common name is
supposed to represent, is also quite
distinctive.

This is a small family containing five
or six species, of which two are found
in China, and one in the Yangtse
Valley.

( 101 )
HOOPOE.

UPUPA EPOPS LINN.

Description. — Length twelve inches.

" Bill blackish, flesh colorod at the
base of both mandibles. Feet black.
Iris brown."

" Crest rufous fawn, all the feathers
with black tips, and on the longest
feathers the rufous passes into pure
white before the end is reached ; the
sides of the head, chin, neck all around,
and breast varying from sandy to pale
rufous with a vinous tinge ; upper back
and wings along forearm light brown,
then a black band, followed by a buify
white one, crosses the wings and back,
with a second black and a second white
band on the wings, but the lower back
is black or brown ; the rump is white ;
upper tail coverts black, and the tail
black with a white bar across it
half way down ; quills black, the first
primary usually with a white spot on
the inner web, the other primaries with
a white band across them, while the
secondaries have white bases and four
white bands, and the abdomen is white
with dark brown streaks in the front."

Eange. — Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Nest and Eggs. — "Although such
beautiful birds, their nesting habits are
such as to make them at this time
anything but attractive. They select a
cavity, preferably a tree, but occasional-
ly in fissures in rocks or the sides of
banks or walls, this being rather
slightly lined with grass, feathers or
hair. In China, they have been known
to nest in holes in exposed Chinese
coffins, whence they are called cofifiu-
birds. The female sits very close and
is fed by the male, and as the droppings
are not removed by the old birds the

( 102 )

nest soon becomes very unsanitary and
ill-smelling.

"The eggs, from five to seven in
number, are at first a pale greenish-
blue, but soon becomes stained and
discolored to a dirty yellowish color."

Notes. — This bird is rather rare here,
but has been seen on the lawns, feeding
upon insects on the ground. Once
seen, it will not be easily forgotten.

Swinhoe thus describes the note of
this bird : — it " is produced by puffing
out the sides of the neck, and hammer-
ing on the ground at the production of
each note, thereby exauating the air
at the end of the series of three notes,
which make up its song. Before it
repeats the call, it repeats the puffing
of the neck with a slight gurgling noise.
When it is able to strike its bill, the
sound is the correct hoo-hoo-hoo, but
when perching on a rope, and only
jerking out the song with the nods of
the head, the notes most resemble the
syllables hoh-hoh-hoh."

Family, Strigldae, The Owls.

The Owls form a natural and sharp-
ly defined group. Without going into
the anatomical features which separate
them, they are easily recognised by
their peculiar face in which the eyes
are fixed looking forward, by the disc
of feathers which surrounds the face,
the soft plumage, and the reversible
fourth toe.

Owls are nocturnal, feeding largely
on small mammals. Their prey is
captured with their talons, and, unless
too large, is swallowed whole. The
bones and hair are afterward ejected
at the mouth in matted pellets. The
eggs of Owls are uniformly white and
unmarked.

( 103 )

There are but two sub-fatoilies,
usually recognized among the owls,
one of which Striginae, is composed of
a single genus, Strix, the Barn Owls.
This family is not represented in the
Yangtse Valley.

All remaining Owls are included in
a second sub-family.

Sub-Family, Buboninae, The Horned Owls and
Their Allies.

In this family of Owls, the inner toe
is decidedly shorter than the middle
one, the claw of which is without
serrations on the inner edge. The
first wing quill is shorter than the
third, and from one to six quills have
their inner web sinuated.

This family is worldwide in its range,
and contains about 190 species, of
which China has 20, and 10 reach the
Yangtse Valley.

GEBAT EAGLE OWL.

BUBO BUBO (linn.)
(Bubo ignavus Forster.)

Description. — Length twenty four to
twenty six inches. Bill black, legs and
toes feathered. Iris golden orange.

Prominent ear tufts. Upperparts
of plumage dark brown and yellowish
mottled. The under parts light brown,
yellowish and grey, each feather
separately barred. Throat white.

Distribution. — Europe and Northern
Asia, including all China. Eesident
around the hills in the Yangtse valley.

Nest and Eggs. — " The nest is very
large, and is placed on rocks or old
ruins, also sometimes on trees, low
down in them. It is composed of
branches and sticks, and is lined with
leaves and straw. Occasionally a

( 104 )

hollow in the bara earth answers the
purpose. The same place is frequently
resorted to year after year. It is said that
a southern aspect is given the preference.

"The eggs are two or three in number,
white or bluish white, and like those of
all the owls, only slightly oval and of
rough chalky appearance."

Notes. — This is the largest of the
nocturnal birds of prey.

LONG-EAEED OWL.

ASIO OTUS (l.)
[Asio vulgaris (Flem.)]

Description. — Length 15 inches.

Bill black, core pale. Legs and toes
fully feathered with light buff feathers.

Head yellowish brown, mottled with
dark brown and white. Ear tufts li
inches long.

Back mottled yellowish brown, grey,
and black. Wings grey to yellowish
brown, banded dusky black, long,
reaching beyond the tail. Under
parts grey or pale yellow mottled
with dark brown in spots or streaks
and crossed with fine transverse bars.
Whole plumage very soft and downy,
tail rather short, square, and barred.

Distribution. — Europe and Asia.
This owl is found throughout China,
visiting the Yangtse Valley in the
winter.

SHOET-EAKED OWL.

ASIO FLAMMEUS (pONt).

[Asio brac^otus (Blyth)J

Description. — Length 14 inches.

This Owl is very similar to Asio

otus, differing.from it in having very

short ear tufts, a more yellowish cast

to the plumage and the fact that the

( 105 )

plumage is not barred, but has only
longitudinal spots and streaks of dusky
black or brown.

Distribution. — Almost cosmopolitan .

This Owl is found in China generally,
reaching the Yangtse Valley during the
winter.

WHITELEY'S OWLET.

GLAUCIDIUM WHITELEYI (bLYTh).

Description. — Length 10 inches.

Beak greenish, cere brown. Legs
yellowish, toes with a few stiff
bristles. Iris yellow.

Plumage is brown crossed with
narrow whitish bars. Abdomen and
under tail coverts white streaked with
brown. Tail with 6 to 8 white bars
interrupted at the shaft of the feather.

In some specimens the whole upper
parts, neck, sides, flanks, and thighs
are suffused with rufous.

Distribution. — South and Central
China. It is a common resident in
the Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — The nest is usually
bailt in holes in old decayed portions
of tall trees, or at times in the desert-
ed nests of other birds. The eggs are
white and roundish in shape.

Notes. — This is the little Owl that
often awakens us at night with its
blood curdling screech. A pair of
these Owls drove some Magpies (Pica
pica sericea) from an old nest in a tree
on the Mission Compound at Kiangyin.
They laid five eggs, all of which were
hatched, though one fledgling was
considerably under-size and disappear-
ed from the nest. The young were
fed chiefly on young frogs which were
abundant in the rice fields at the time
(June). When about half fledged the

( 106 )

young were taken from the nest and
put in a cage on the verandah. The
parents soon found them and continued
feeding them at night until they were
fully grown and were released.

The following Owls are also
residents in the Yangtse Valley but are
not often seen : —

Ketupa flavipes (Hodgs.), Tawny
Fish Owl,

Otus glabripes (Swinhoe), Elegant
Owl,

Otus semitorques (T. and S.), Half-
collared Owl,

Glaucidium brodiei (Burton), Col-
lared Pygmy Owlet.

Ninox japonica (T. and S.), Brown
Hawk Owl, is a summer visitant.

Otus stictonotus (Sharpe), Spotted
Pygmy Owl, is recorded as a migrant
and

Bubo coromandus (Lath), Dusky
Horned Owl, as a stray in the
Yangtse Valley.

Family, Caprimulgidae, Goatsuckers, or
Nightjars.

This is a well marked family of quite
uniform appearance, the plumage of all
its members being soft, and showing a
mottling of brown, gray, black, and
white. The bill is short, weak and
flexible. The gape is cut far back,
almost to the eyes. The nostrils are
mostly tubular. In the typical members
of the family the outer toe has only four
joints, and the middle toe is long with
its claw pectinated on the inside.

Nightjars are found in most parts of
the world, but most abundant in the
tropics. They are mainly nocturnal in
their habits, and capture most of their
food of insects on the wing.

( 107 )

The family has 130 species, of which
3 are found in China and one in the
Yangtse Valley.

JAPANESE NIGHTJAR.
(GOATSUCKER).

CAPRIMULGUS JOTAKA T. AND S.

DescrijJtion. — Length lOi inches.
Bill small and weak with numerous
rictal bristles. Eyes large, gape very
large, feet weak.

Plumage a mixture of brown, grey
and rufous with fine wavy lines,
and on back and head large,
long, black spots. White spot on
the throat. Tail marked toward
the extremity with large white spot
save on the central rectrices. Tail
obscurely banded.

Distribution. — Southern Asia, Japan,
and the whole of China. This bird is
a migrant passing the Yangtse Valley
in May and October.

Nest and Eggs. — The eggs are laid
on bare ground without any sign of
a nest, sometimes under the shelter of
some projecting object. There are two
eggs of a dull white ground-color
irregularly blotched with several shades
of brown, the shell has a noticeable
gloss.

Notes. — " It makes a peculiar noise
like the knocking together of two
pieces of wood. Perhaps this is what
gives it the name of Nightjar. Another
name is Nighthawk, and a third very
common one is Goatsucker. The last
has come from the fact that the bird
has frequently been seen to hang around
the udders of goats so that it has be-
come a popular belief that it sucks the
milk. As a matter of fact, it is the
flies that the bird is after. Of a

( 108 )

beautiful brown-grey color, closely
penciled and barred, the Nightjar is a
handsome bird. Like the Swift it
has an enormous mouth and long
graceful wings."

Family, Micropodidae, The Swifts.

Swifts are small, compactly-
feathered, pre-eminently aerial birds,
with very long pointed wings in which
there are ten primaries, and always
less than nine secondaries. The tarsus
is extremely short and the feet weak.
The bill is short, somewhat curved,
broad at the base, with a very wide
gape. Swifts take their food of insects
entirely on the wing, and possess
unrivalled powers of flight.

Chaetura caudacuta (Lath), Spine-
tailed Swift, and

Apus pacificus (Lath), Large White-
rumped Swift, pass the Yangtse
Valley on migration.

Family Picidae, Woodpeckers.

The species represented in the
Yangtse Valley have four toes, two in
front and two behind ; the bill is very
strong, straight, and chisel-like ; the
tail feathers are stiff and pointed, except
in two species in China ; the nostrils
are concealed by bristles.

They are small or medium sized
birds with strong legs and feet. The
peculiar structure of the feet enables
them to cling to the trunk or limbs of
a tree, while the stiff pointed tail
serves as a prop when resting. The
heavy, sharp bill is used to cut away
wood and expose grubs and other in-
sects which form their food. These
they impale on the spear-like tip of
their long distensible tongue and draw

( 109 )

from their hiding places. The eggs are
white, and are placed in a hole, hollow-
ed out by the bird in a dead tree or
limb.

This family possesses 250 species, of
which 18 are found in China ; 12 of
these are peculiar to China alone.
The Yangtse Valley has 4 species.

YANGTSE GEEEN WOOD-
PECKER.

PICUS GUEBINI (mALH).
[Gecinus guerini (Malh)]

Description. — Length 10 to 11 inches.

Bill black above, yellow below.
Feet olive green. Iris white.

Back, scapulars, rump, and upper tail
coverts soft grey washed with greenish
yellow, washing heaviest on the rump.
The amount of greenish washing varies
very considerably. Head and neck
bluish grey except that the lores and
center of the crown are much darker. A
black streak through the center of the
nape and on either side of the head
below the auriculars. The forehead is
scarlet in the male. Throat grey,
under parts greenish grey washed
yellow. Wing feathers are very dark
brown, spotted white and outer webs
washed yellow. Under sides of the vu>^
grey spotted white. The tail feathers
are dull brown washed yellowish groen
and spotted yellowish brown.

The North China form (Picus canus)
is decidedly more greyish, and the
South China one (Picus tancola) more
green, and both have more red on the
head than the Yangtse Valley form
(Picus guerini).

Distribution. — Central China. It is
a rather common resident in the
Yangtse Valley.

( no )

Nest and Eggs. — They nesfc in holes
in trees and lay five or six glossy
white eggs.

Notes. — This bird is rather common
on our campus in Soochow picking
over some old willow trees with a
number of badly rotted areas, or quite
frequently feeding on the ground along
with the Blackbirds. Its loud, screechy
call, made as it passes in its undulating
flight from one tree to another, can be
heard for quite a distance.

PIED WOODPECKER.

DRYOBATES CABANISI (mALH).

[Dendrocopus cabanisi (Malh)]

(Picus cabanisi)

Description. — Length 9j inches.

Bill black above, grey below. Toes
green. Iris crimson.

Upper parts blue black. Forehead
and about the eyes whitish. Auriculars
grey. Side of neck white. Male has
a spot of scarlet on occiput. Under
parts white, more or less washed with
brown or red. Abdomen and under
tail coverts red.

" Edge of wing, under wing-coverts,
and axillaries white."

Distribution. — Throughout China.
It is a resident in the Yangtsa
Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — We have observed
this bird picking its way into a pretty
solid piece of slightly decayed wood.
It was at work for some time, but has
finally made its nest and is now (May
10th) sitting.

Notes. — One meets with this Wood-
pecker almost everywhere in China
where there are trees which it may
explore.

( 111 )

SPARK-HEADED WOODPECKER.

TUNGIPICUS SCINTILLICEPS
(SWINHOE.)

[lyngipicus scintilliceps (Swinhoe).]

Description. — Length 7 inches.

This little woodpecker is black above,
with lower parts of the back white
transversed by seven bars. Fore part
of the crown grey. Two tufts of scarlet
on the sides of the head of the male.
A white stripe from eye to side of nock.
Nape black. Throat grey bordered by
black mustaches. All the rest of the
lower parts grey with long brown
markings. Greater and lesser wing
coverts with large white spots. Remiges
barred with white.

Distribution. — China generally. Re-
sident, but not common, in the Yangtsa
Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — Similar to that of
the other Woodpeckers.

Notes.— While this little Wood-
pecker is a resident in the Yangtse
Valley, yet he is not nearly so
frequently met with as Green and the
Pied species.

CHINESE PIOULET.

PICUMNUS CHINENSIS (hARGITt).

Description. — Length 4 inches.

The small of the woodpeckers.
Its back is greenish yellow. Head
maroon brown. Below pale yellow
each feather marked with rounded
black spot, forming bands on flanks
and longitudinal streaks on the breast.
The middle of the abdomen is saffron.
Tail feathers soft, and not stiff and
pointed as in other species.

( 112 )

Distribtition. — Himalayas and
Mountains of South and Central
China. Eather an uncommon resident
in the Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — The Piculets nest
in holes in trees and lay glossy, white
eggs, similar to those of other wood-
peckers.

Notes. — Abbe David observes that it
prefers the bamboo groves as hunting
grounds and often joins other small
birds in swift flights through the
thickets and coppice in quite different
manner from other members of this
family.

WRYNECK.

JYNX TORQUILLA L.
(lynx torquilla L.)

Description. — Length six and one
half inches.

" Beak and feet olive brown.

Upper parts reddish grey, irregularly
spotted and lined with brown and black;
a broad black and brown band from the
back of the head to the back ; under
parts dull white, tinged with buff, and
barred with dark brown, except on the
breast and belly, where the markings
become arrow-headed in form ; outer
web of the quills marked with
rectangular, alternate black and
yellowish spots : tail feathers barred
with black zigzag bands."

Distribution. — This bird is found
throughout Europe and most of Asia,
but is solitary in its habits and
rather scai'ce. It is a migrant in the
Yangtse Valley, passing in April and
September.

Nest and Eggs. — "At all times, except
during the nesting season, it is a silent
bird, but at that time its loud, monoto-

( 113 )

nous, quickly utfcered call is frequently
heard. It does not excavate a hole for
itself, but makes use of a natural or
other cavity, especially in an orchard
or lime tree, depositing on the bare
wood or chips at the bottom its glossy
white eggs, which number from seven
to nine, or exceptionally as many as
twelve."

Notes. — " The Wryneck is placed by
anatomists next to the woodpeckers,
and is like them in the form of its feet
and the habit of perching vertically on
the trunks of trees ; but he does not
dig into the wood with his beak, nor
does he support himself with his tail,
the feathers of which are soft as in
most perching birds. He is a singular
bird, differing from all others in
form, coloring, language, and habits.
His variously colored plumage, so
curiously and beautifully barred and
mottled, is most like that of the
Nightjar; but his beauty appears only
when he is seen very near. At a
distance of twenty-five or thirty yards
he is obscure in coloring, and is more
remarkable for his attitudes and
gestures, when seen on a tree trunk
deftly and rapidly picking up the small
ants on which he feeds. When thus
engaged, he twists his neck, turning
his head from side to side in a most
singular manner ; hence the name
Wryneck. When taken in hand he
twists his neck about in ^^the same
manner, and hisses like a snake, as he
also does when disturbed during
incubation ; and on this account he hag
been called the Snake-bird. When held
in hand, he sometimes swoons, and
appears to be dead until released, where-
upon he quickly recovers and makes
bis escape. Even more characteristic

( 114 )

than his contortions, hissings, and
' death-feigning', is his voice. It is an
unmistakble and familar sound of
early spring — a clear, high pitched, far
reaching note, reiterated many times —
a sound that makes itself heard at a
distance of a quarter of a mile. As a
rule, this note is heard a few days be-
fore the cuckoo's call, and on this
account, the wryneck is known ....
.... as the cuckoo's mate, or
messenger, or bodar, and is also called
the cuckoo's maid.

" The Wryneck feeds chiefly on ants
and their larvae, and, like the green
Woodpecker, he goes to the anthills on
common and uncultivated grounds ;
the insects are taken with the long
retractile tongue, which is covered with
an adhesive saliva, and which the bird
when feeding, darts out and withdraws
with lightning rapidity."

A stray Picus canus (L), North
China Green Woodpecker, has been
found in Ohinkiang once.

ORDER, PASSERIFORMES, PERCHING BIRDS.

Passerine birds, with the exception
of the genus Cholornis, have four toes,
without webs, the first being on the
same level as the others and directed
backwards ; it is as large as the middle
toe, and the nail is usually longer than
that of the middle toe. They are
generally birds of small size, having
variously shaped wings, with nine or ten
primaries and nine secondaries. There
are usually twelve tail feathers. Other
characteristics are largely technical
and need not be enumerated here.

This is a very large order, containing
approximately 7,000 species, or nearly
half of the known birds. Notwith-

( 116 )

standing the large number of specific
forma, the structure is of a remarkably
uniform type, and the group is more
homogeneous than any other similar
division of the bird family. Several
subdivisions have been made on largely
arbitrary grounds, but no tv70 system-
atists agree.

We follow Dr. F, H. Knowlton in
grouping the species which seem to
show closest affiliation into families,
with a synopsis of the characteristic
features of each.

Family, Alaudldae, tbe Larks.

Larks have the tarsus blunt behind
instead of sharp as in most of the birds
of this order. The rear of the tarsus
is scuttellated much like the front. The
hind claw is very long. The wings are
pointed, with ten primaries, though the
first is very short, and often practically
obsolete. The edges of both mandibles
are smooth except for a notch in the
upper one. The head is often crested.

Thei'e are 115 species of Larks, all
except four belonging to the old world,
where they are most abundant in the
Palearctic region. China has ten
species of which only one reaches the
Yangtse Valley.

THE SKYLAEK.

ALAUDA ARVENSIS, L.

Description. — Length seven and one
half inches. Bill dark brown above,
paler below. Feet pale brown. Iris
dark brown.

There is a rudimentary crest ; a long
straight hind claw ; and feathers at
the base of the bill are bristly.

{ 116 )

tipper parts dark brown, each
feather edged fulvous : and indistinct
superciliary line ; under parts white,
or very pale fulvous, abdomen lighter ;
throat and checks white or slightly
streaked, and breast and sides boldly
streaked with black ; wings and tail
very dark brown, feathers edged lighter,
two outer tail feathers mostly pale
rufous or white.

Young birds have the crown feathers
much rounded, and most of the feathers
of the upper plumage, more rufous and
tipped white ; wing coverts broadly
margined rufous.

The Skylark varies much both in size
and color shades throughout its wide
range, giving rise to quite a complicated
nomenclature for the many sub-specific
forms. As all forms seem to intergrade,
it appears best to regard it as one
species with many climatic races.

Distribution. — Europe, Asia, and
North Africa ; China generally. Com-
mon winter visitant in the Yangtse
Valley.

Notes. — This is one of the favorite
cage birds of the Chinese, and sings very
sweetly in captivity, but is always
heard to best advantage in the open, on
some grassy slopes, especially at the
foot of the hills, from March to June.
The Chinese have rightly named it the
" Messenger of Heaven "

Family, Motacillidae, Wagtails and Pipits.

The birds of this family have slender
cone-shaped bills, which are always
shorter than the head. The tarsus
and toes are long and slender,
and the claw of the hind toe
is as long as the toe itself. The
wings are long and pointed, the outer
four or five of the nine primaries being

( 117 )

the longest. The inner secondaries
are greatly elongated. The tail is never
much shorter, and sometimes longer
than the wings.

They are insectivorous birds, fre-
quenting the open fields and plains,
where they walk and run with ease.
Their flight is undulating and peculiarly
erratic.

Pipits resemble the larks somewhat,
but may readily be distinguished by
the tarsus being sharp behind, and
by the longer outer primary. Their
brownish streaked coloring, and much
shorter tails easily separate them from
the Wagtails. Their seasonal changes
of plumage are very slight.

Wagtails have black, white, and
gray plumage, or in some cases bright
yellow, but all are devoid of streaks
or mottling on the upper parts ; there
are often striking differences between
the winter and the summer plumages.
Their popular name comes from the
nervous habit of vibrating the tail
when standing or walking.

The family comprises about a
hundred species distributed throughout
the world. China has 24 species, of
which 15 reach the Yangtse Valley.

KEY TO THE PIPITS.

The following key to the Pipits has
been adapted to the species occuring in
the Yangtse Valley, from that of Mr.
E.W.Oatesin "Fauna of British India."

a. Hind claw not exceeding hind
toe in length ;

a' Pale tip of inner web of pen-
ultimate tail feather very small, next
feather never tipped ;

a" Streaks on lower plumage large,
black, well-definod ; light parts of tail
feathers white ;

( 118 )

a'" Ur per plumage suffused with

green, with small ill-defined streaks ;

supercilium white posteriorly ; , . . .

Anthus hodgsoni.

h. Hind claw exceeding hind toe in

length ;

b' Sides of body plain or faintly
streaked ;

b" Lower plumage sandy buff, or

fulvous, breast spotted and streaked ;

. . Anthus richardi.

c" Lower plumage vinaceous ; . . ;

Anthus hlahistoni, adult.

c' Sides of the body coarsely streaked

with black or dark brown ;

d" Throat and breast cinnamon
red ; . Anthus cervinus, adult,
e" Throat and breast whitish, or
pale fulvous ;

b' " Upper plumage with fulvous

margins ; Anthus cervinus, young.

c' " Upper plumage olive brown,

dark centers; . . AiitMis japonicus,

young.

f" Streaks on breast narrow, pale ;

Anthus hlahistoni, young.

g" Throat and breast white, feet pale;

Anthus japonicus, adult.

h" Above richly streaked black upon

fulvous ; Anthus gustavi.

EICHAED'S PIPIT.

ANTHUS EICHAEDI, VIELL.

Description. — Length about seven
and one half inches.

Bill, upper mandible dark brown,
lower one paler. Mouth yellow.
Tarsus yellowish brown, toes lighter,
hind claw very long, not much curved.
Iris dark brown.

Yellowish olive above, every feather
dark brown in center, less distinct on
the rump ; pale yellowish supercilium ;

( 119 )

white below washed with yellowish
red, sides of throat and breast with a
few long dark brown streaks.

Distribution. — Europe, Asia, and
north Africa ; passes the Yangtse
Valley in small numbers in spring
and autumn migration ; breeds in
Siberia.

Notes. — Seebohm found this bird
exceedingly abundant on the banks of
the Yenesei. There is a small darker
form of this Pipit (Anthus infuscatus)
in Fokien, with a shorter tarsus and
hind claw, which may be found in the
Yangtse Valley.

RED THROATED PIPIT.

ANTHUS CEEVINU3, (pALL).

Description. — Length six inches.
Bill brownish black, yellowish at base.
Tarsus yellowish flesh color ; claws
horn color. Iris brown.

A distinct reddish supercilium ; chin,
throat, and upper breast cinnamon red,
with black streaks on the bi'east, light
in the center and heavier at the sides ;
rest of the under parts yellowish, washed
pink, with black spots on sides and
flanks ; feathers of whole upper plumage
with black centers and pale rufous
margins ; wings and tail dark brown,
edged yellowish, outer tail feather
mostly white, next one slightly tipped
white.

In young birds the supercilium is less
distinct, and the rufous washing lighter,
and there is a broad black band down
each side of the throat.

Distribution. — Europe, Northern
Africa, and all Asia ; a winter visitant!
in the Yangtse Valley.

( 120 )
EASTERN WATER PIPIT.

ANTHUS JAPONICUS, T. AND S.

Description. — Length six and one
half inches. Bill deep dusky above,
lighter below. Tarsus pale horn color :
Iris brown.

Yellowish brown above, feathers
with darker centers, except on the
rump and upper tail coverts ; wings
and tail dusky edged yellowish white ;
outer tail feathers mostly white, next
ones tipped white on inner web ; whole
lower parts yellowish, young birds and
adults in winter have the whole breast,
sides of neck and flanks marked with
coarse dusky black streaks ; in breeding
plumage these streaks are lacking.

This bird very closely resembles the
American Water Pipit (A. penn-
sylvanicus), differing from it chiefly
in the amount of white on the pen-
ultimate tail feather.

Another very closely allied species,
the Petchora Pipit (A. gustavi, Swin.),
is also found in the Yangtse Valley.
It has a more yellowish cast to the
upper plumage, and the dark streaks
above and below are blacker and more
distinct.

Distribution. — Eastern Siberia and
Kamschatka, winters in China and
Japan.

BLAKISTON'S WATER PIPIT.

ANTHUS BLAKISTONI, SWIN.

Description. — Length seven inches.
Bill and tarsus dusky black. Iris
brown.

Lores and sides of the head
reddish ; eyebrow reddish yellow ;
upper parts earthy brown, centers of
feathers darker brown ; under parts

( 121 )

dull white, with a tinge of reddish on
the breast ; the flanks with a few
indistinct black streaks ; wings and
tail dusky brown, feathers edged
lighter, except uter tail feathers
mostly white.

Immature birds have the neck and
breast faintly, and the sides plainly,
streaked with dark brown.

This bird is practically identical
with the European Water Pipit (A.
spinoletta), differing from it chiefly in
being slightly smaller.

Distribution. — Eastern Siberia and
China ; a winter visitant in the
Yangtse Valley, where it is not un-
common. It is usually solitary,
frequenting the banks of canals and
pools, but is occasionally found in
small parties.

EASTERN TREE PIPIT.

ANTHUS HODGSONI, RICHMOND.
[A. maculatus, Hodgs.]

Description. — Length six inches.
Bill black. Iris brown. Tarsus flesh
color. Eyebrow yellowish white, whiter
and more distinct in summer.

Upper parts nearly uniform olive
brown, the head and sometimes the
mantle and back having narrow
dusky streaks ; foreneck and breast
sandy buff, marked with narrow
black spots, which are longer on
the sides ; lower breast and abdomen
white ; median wing coverts tipped
with yellowish white ; central tail
feathers dark brown edged olive,
others pointed, edged olive, and tipped
white.

In autumn plumage the throat some-
times is of a fine buff color, and the
black breast spots less pronounced.

( 122 )

Distribution.— ^Indist, to the valley of
tihe Amur, and China generally ; winter
visitant in the Yangtse Valley.

KEY TO THE WAGTAILS OF THE
YANGTSE VALLEY, ADAPTED
' FROM GATES.
a. Hind claw much curved, shorter
than hind toe ;

a ' Plumage black, white, and gray ;
a " Ear-coverts and sides of the neck
always whitewashed ;

a'" No black streak through the
eye;

a " " Outer webs of greater wing

coverts entirely white, back black

or dusky on the mantle ; . . .

Motacilla leucopsis ;

h'" Abroad black streak through

the eye ;

b " " Gray shoulders and back ; . .

Motacilla ocularis;

c " " Shoulder always black, back

gray in winter black in summer ; . .

Motacilla lugens ;

b' Plumage largely yellow and

green ; . Motacilla boarula ;

c' Plumage olive green above, black

bars on breast, white bars on wings ;

. Dendronanthus indicus ;

b. Hind claw little curved, longer

than hind toe ;

d' Tarsus unmistakably shorter than
one inch ;

d" Crown dark gray, superc ilium

absent or obsolete, cheeks blackish ;

. Budytes borealis ;

e" Orovvn dark blue gray, super-

cilium very broad and distinct, cheeks

blackish, ear-coverts streaked white ;

Budytes flavus si^nillimus ;

t" Crown green concolourous with

back, supercilium broad bright yellow ;

Budytes flavus taivanus ;

( 123 )

e' Tarsus considerably longer than
one inch ;

g" Back always ashy gray : . . .
Budytes citreola.

FOEEST WAGTAIL.

DENDEONANTHUS INDICUS, (gM.).

(Limonidromus indicus, (Gm.) ).

Description. — Length six inches.
Bill, lower mandible dull white, upper
brown. Tarsus pale white. Iris black.

A white eyebrow extending to the
nape; crown, nape, and back olive
brown ; yellowish white below, the
flanks tinted with olive ; the breast has
two black collars, the upper one com-
plete, the lower one broken in the
middle ; upper surface of the v,'ing3
dusky black, with three white trans-
verse bands ; upper tail coverts black ;
two middle tail feathers much shorter
than the others and of a diiferent color;
outer tail feathers mostly white. This
bird is regarded as a connecting link
between the Pipits and the Wagtails.

Distribution. — India and all China,
passing the Yangtse Valley in migra-
tion.

WHITE-FACED WAGTAIL.

MOTACILLA LEUCOPSIS, GOULD.

Description. — Length seven and one
half inches. Bill black. Tarsus brown-
ish black. Iris brown.

The plumage is a mixture of black
gray and white, which varies according
to age, and season. The marks which
distinguish it from the other Pied
Wagtails are, the white face, having
neither black eyebrows nor mustache,
and the back black in summer. For

( 124 )

changes in the plumage we give, from
the " Catalogue of the Birds of the
British Museum " the-Key to the
Plumage of Motacilla leucopsis.

a. Forehead like the back, upper
surface light ashy or pale olivaceous,
least wing coverts like the back, median
coverts white with a mesial streak of
dark brown, dusky black patch on
foreneck ; Yotmg first plumage.

b. Forehead white, upper surface gray,
median wing coverts white, narrow
black band on foreneck ; . . . .

Yoimg first winter.

0. Forehead white, head black, back

gray or mottled black, least wing coverts

black, broad band on foreneck ; . .

. . Adult, second winter.

d. Forehead white, upper parts
black, also least wing coverts, lower
throat black, upper throat white,
white on secondaries confined to
inner web ; . . . .

Adult breeding plumage.

e. Black extending on to chin, base
of secondaries white on both webs ;

. . Adult filial plumage.

Distrihution, — China generally ; mi-
grant in the eastern part of the
Yangtse Valley, passing in considerable
numbers in spring and fall breeds in
the foothills around Mokanshan, and
possibly elsewhere in the region.

Nest and Eggs. — Nests are built in
the straw thatched roofs of native
houses around the foothills of Mokan-
shan. They are frequently seen at the
" first resthouse" on the way to Mo-
kanshan from San Jao Pu.

It is a large cup-shaped nest of
leaves and grass lined with hair. Eggs
are grayish white streaked with brown
and gray of various shades.

( 126 )
STEEAK-EYED WAGTAIL.

MOTACILLA OCULARIS, SWIN.

Description. — Length seven and one
half inches : Bill black plumbeous at
the base. Tarsus black. Iris brown.

The plumage of this species like that
of the other Pied Wagtails, _ shows
many variations of black white and
gray. It may be distinguished by
the eyestreak — dusky in the young,
black in the adult birds — together
with the gray back and shoulder,
winter and summer. Again we give
the British Museum Catalogue's

Key to the Plumage of Motacilla
ocularis ;

a. Throat white or tinged yellow :

a' Onl> a dusky brown patch on
the foreneck, upper parts ashy brown ;
. . . . Young first plumage.
b' Black crescent on foreneck ;
a" Head like the back, white fore-
head slightly indicated ; . .

Young first winter plumage.

b" Head black, forehead white ; . .

Adult secoyid winter plumage.

b. Throat black up to chin or near-
ly so ; . . . Adult summer plumage.

Distribution. — China generally, a
common winter visitant in the
Yangtse Valley.

EASTERN PIED WAGTAIL.

MOTACILLA LUGENS, KITTLITZ.

Description. — Length seven and one
half inches. Bill and tarsus black.
Iris brown.

This bird is distinguished from the
White-eyed Y/agtail by the black
eyeline. It comes very near the
Streak-eyed Wagtail in winter, then
both have giay backs, black heads, a

( 126 )

black gorget on the throat, and a
black eye line, but this bird always
has black shoulders, while the Streak-
eyed Wagtail always has gray
shoulders, in all phases of plumage.

For changes of plumage we give the
British Museum Catalogue Key to the
Plumage of Motacilla lugens ;

a. Outer secondaries entirely white,
primaries white with black ends :
a' Black back and crown ;
a" Back black mixed gray; . .

Adult male summer,
h" Back black : . .

Adult female summer.
b' Back gray, head black ; . .
Adult both sexes winter,
h' Quills brown edged white ;
c' Back black ; . .

Male first summer.

d' Back gray or mixed black ; . .

Female first summer.

e' Back gray or tinged olive, h^{

sometimes blackish, throat cresc^fc

black ; . .

Young first winter.
e" Back gray washed olive, no black
on head, crescent dusky ;

Young first plumage.
Distribution. — China and Japan.
Winter visitant in Yangtse Valley.

EASTERN GRAY WAGTAIL.

MOTACILLA MELANOPE, PALL.
(M, boarula, L.)

Description. — Length seven inches.
Bill black; Tarsus flesh color; Iris
brown.

In winter plumage, top of the
head and back gray ; rump and upper
tail coverts greenish yellow ; a white
eyebrow, gray just below the eye;

( 127 )

throat, chin, and fore neck white;
under parts pale yellow, the under tail
coverts much brighter, both sexes are
very similar in winter plumage.

In breeding plumage ; the male has
a more distinct eye streak and some
white feathers on the lower eyehd ; top
of the head darker ; chin and throat
black, each feather edged white ; a
broad white mustache. The female
has a row of blackish spots on each
side of the throat.

Distribution. — Europe and all Asia,
passing the Yangtse Valley in
migration.

GRAY-HEADED WAGTAIL.

BUDYTES BOBEALIS, SUNDEV.

Description. — Length seven inches.
BilLdusky black, base of lower man-
dible yellowish. Tarsus dark horn
color. Iris brown.

Male in winter. — Top of head
and neck bluish gray, a few of the
feathers tipped greenish ; back
and rump greenish olive ; upper
tail coverts dark brown edged greenish
olive ; central tail feathers black edged
olive, outer ones mostly white ; wings
brownish black feathers edged lighter ;
sides of the head grayish black, lighter
on the ear coverts ; under parts yellow,
deeper on the breast, where there is
some dark mottling ; superciliary line
faint or lacking.

Male in summer. — Top of the head
becomes darker, sides of the head
black ; upper parts with distinct
greenish yellow tinge ; lower plumage
yellow, with little or no dark mottling
on the breast.

( 128 )

' Female in lointer same as the male ;
in summer, upper parts duller ; top of
head similar to back ; mottling on
breast plainer.

Imfnature birds in the fall, grayish
brown above, with whiter margins to
tail and wing feathers ; lower parts
largely white ; spots on the breast very
distinct, forming a gorget ; broad
yellowish white supercilium.

Distribution. — Europe, Asia from
northern Siberia to India ; migrant in
the Yangtse Valley.

BLUE HEADED WAGTAIL.

BUDYTES FLAVUS SIMILLIMUS, L.

Description. — This species very
closely resembles the Gray Headed
Wagtail (B. borealis), but may be
distinguished in the male, by the darker
crown, and the white chin and
mustache ; in the female, by the darker
green upper parts ; and in both sexes,
by the white streaks on the ear coverts,
and the large, distinct, whitish super-
cilium.

Distrihution and habits. The same
as those of the Blue Headed Wagtail.
It is also a migrant in the Yangtse
Valley.

There are two other very similar
species, also migrants in the Yangtse
Valley, which may be met with :

The Green Headed Wagtail (B. flavus
taivanus), which may be distinguished
by a green crown, uniform in color with
the throat, a broad yellow supercilium,
and a yellow throat ;

The Yelloio Headed Wagtail, (B.
citreola), may be distinguished by the
bright yellow head and black mantle in

( 129 )

summer, yellow forehead in winter, and
gray back at all seasons, in the male ;
the female similar, but paler, and more
of an olive yellow ; immature birds
have the head and back a uniform
brownish gray, a dull white eyebrow,
and the under parts yellowish white.

Family, Enlcuridae, The Forktails.

Forktails are trim, dainty birda
tetween six and eleven inches long, with
stout, straight and rather long bills, and
strong legs. Their moderately rounded
wings have ten primaries, the outer one
being well developed. In typical forms
the tail is very long, and well developed,
but in the Little Forktail (M. scouleri),
it is short and nearly square. This is
a small group of three genera, and only
a dozen species, only two of which
reach the Yangtse Valley.

CHINESE FOEKTAIL.

ENICURUS SINENSIS, GOULD.

Description. — Length eleven and
one half inches. Bill black. Tarsus
almost white. Iris brown.

Forehead, abdomen, under tail
coverts, and rump white ; a white
letter V is formed on the back by the
rump and a white line across the
tertials and wing coverts ; remainder
of the plumage jet black, excepting
white tips on the tertials and all the
tail quills ; outer pair of tail feathers
on each side entirely white; tail
deeply forked.

Immature birds have the head neck,
and back chocolate brown ; chin and
throat gray ; breast brown with
yellowish streaks ; otherwise like the
adults.

( 130 )

This bird has a peculiar habit of
spreading and closing its tail when
perched, and usually flies with the tail
spread wide.

Distribution. — South China, as far
north as the Yellow River. It is
a resident in the Yangtse Valley,
keeping largely to the hills with
running water.

Nest and Eggs, — The nest is built on
the bank of a stream, a ledge of rocks,
or even a stump, concealed by over-
hanging ferns or foliage. It is a cup
of moss, lined with fine grass, roots,
and dead leaves. The eggs are smooth
grayish white speckled with red and
lilac spots.

Notes. — This bird haunts the moun-
tain streams, taking its food of insects
mollusks, and worms, mostly from the
water, though it sometimes frequents
Chinese farmyards, and will even feed
from the filthy cess pools.

THE LITTLE FORKTAIL.

MICEOCICHLA SCOULERI, (viGORS).

Description. — Length five and one
half inches. Bill black. Tarsus white.
Iris dark brown. Forehead white ;
rest of the upper plumage black,
with the exception of the white
lower back, and the rump,
which is white with a black band ;
throat and upper breast black ; rest of
the under parts white, the flanks
mottled black ; two outer pairs of tail
quills white, others white at base, with
black tips, the black increasing in area
toward the central feathers. This
species is readily identified by it's short,
almost square tail.

( 131 )

Distribution. — North India, south
and central China ; resident in the
hills bordering the Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — The nest is a strong,
compactly built moss cup, lined with
dead leaves, usually placed along the
mountain streams. There are four
white eggs in a clutch, lightly spotted
with light red and lilac.

In habits this bird is very similar to
the Chinese Forktail, but is not nearly
so common.

Family, Tlmellldae, The Babbling
Thrusbes.

This is a composite group of mainly
Old World birds, about which there ia
much disagreement. The bill is de-
cidedly thrush-like ; the wings are
short, rounded, and concave, so as to
fit close to the sides of the body.
The whole plumage is lax and soft.
The outer of the ten primaries is com-
taratively large, and the plumage of
the nestling is like that of the adult,
phough paler, both being unspotted.

This group contains over a hundred
species, twenty-seven of which are
met with in China, and six in the
Yangtse Valley.

SPECTACLED LAUGHING
THRUSH.

DRYONASTES PERSPICILLATUS, (gm).
Description. — Length thirteen and
one half inches. Bill, dark brown
above, lighter below. Tarsus, dark
yellowish brown. Iris, brown. Fore-
head, lores, auriculars, and a patch
around the eyes, black. This black
area around the eyes accounts for the
rather fanciful name, "The Spectacled

( 132 )

Laughing Thrush." Head, neck,
throat, and chin, ashy olive. Back,
rump, upper tail coverts, and wings,
olive brown. Breast and abdomen
ochraceous gray, the center of the
latter being rufous. Tail, olive brown,
darker toward tip. Whole plumage
very loose and coarse.

Distribution. — Resident in central
and south China. Common in the
Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — The nests are
usually placed in the thickets around
villages, and are about ten or twelve feet
from the ground. They are composed
of coarse grass, roots and small twigs,
and are lined with fine dry grass, straw,
or pine needles. There are three or
four eggs in a clutch, glossy greenish
white in color. There are two or three
broods in a season.

Notes. — To say that this bird laughs
requires quite a little imagination,
though its harsh notes may have some
little resemblance to a coarse laugh.
They are usually found in small groups
in the thickets, the year around.

There is another species, the White'
broived Laughing Thrush, (Dryonastes
sannio) sometimes met with in the hills.
Its plumage is more rufous, and it is
marked by white lores and cheeks, as
well as a distinct white supercilium.
Tlaia fckgd^bftBubeoB takonop Molianohap.

BROWN LAUGHING THRUSH.
(Hwamei, or Womi).

TROCHALOPTEEON CANORUM, (L).

Description. — Length nine and one
half inches. Bill, yellowish brown.
Tarsus brownish flesh color. Iris

( 133 )

brown. There is a white circle around
the eyes, the white extending posteriorly
as a stripe. Crown and upper back,
olive rufous, with dark shaft lines to
the feathers. Back and rump, uniform
dark olive. Under parts bright yellowish
rufous, with dark shaft lines to the
feathers of the chin throat and upper
breast, and the middle of the abdomen
ashy gray. Tail and wings dark olive
brown.

Distribution. — Central and south
China, a common resident in the
Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — The nest is a large
cup built up of leaves, coarse grass,
and twigs, lined with finer material.
It is usually placed low in a dense
thicket. The eggs are greenish blue,
marked with reddish brown.

Notes. — This is a very common, and
much prized cage bird among the
Chinese. It has the most varied song
of any of the common birds of the
Yangtse Valley, not only having quite
a classic repertoire of it's own, but
seemingly able to add at will the notes
of other birds.

When wild it prefers the hills, but
often comes down to the thickets in
the plains.

LESSER SCIMITAR BABBLER.

POMATORHINUS STRIDULUS, SWINH.
[Pomatorhinus styani, (Seebohm)] .

Description. — Length seven to eight
inches. Bill horny yellow, paler at
tip, culmen brownish black. Tarsus
greenish gray. Iris red. Crown olive
brown. Neck bright rufous, especially
at the sides. Long white eyebrow.

( 134 )

Auriculars black. Back, rump, and
upper surface of the wings,
dark cinnamon. Throat white. Breast
olive tinted with rufous, each
feather edged with white. Flanks,
abdomen, and under tail coverts olive-
gray. Tail and wings olive-brown.

Variations in shade of plumage are
quite frequent. As a rule birds from
west China are much lighter than
those from the south.

Distribution. — Himalayas and all
south China up to the Yellow River.
Eesident in the wooded hills of the
Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — The nest is an
oblong dome, constructed entirely of
leaves, those of the bamboo being pre-
ferred, with a lining of fine grass stems
and moss. The eggs are white.

Notes. — These birds have a peculiar
habit of singing a sort of response.
One of them, presumably the male,
perches well up in a bamboo or shrub,
and gives a call of two whistled notes,
and the other from a lower perch
answers with a lower note in perfect
cadence.

BROWN STREAKED HILL
WARBLER.

SUYA OEINIGERA, HODGSON.

Description. — Length seven and one
half inches. Bill in summer, black, in
winter, brown. Tarsus fleshy pink,
claws brown. Iris orange.

Above, the feathers are brown in the
centers, and yellowish gray on the
edges, with a rufous tin on the lower
back and upper tail coverts, giving the
back a streaked appearance. Sides of
the head, neck, and sometimes the

( 135 )

breast, are faintly streaked with black.
Breast and abdomen yellowish gray,
flanks and under tail coverts light
yellowish brown. Wings and tail
rufous brown, the tail being long and
graduated.

In summer the whole plumage is
darker.

Distribution. — South and central
China, resident in the Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — The nest is a deep
cup of grass, lined with grass down. It
is usually placed near the ground in a
shrub. The eggs are white, speckled
with red, and there are sometimes as
many as seven in a clutch.

Notes. — This is shy bird, and not at
all common. It is a poor flier and
mostly keeps to the rocky hill sides
covered with scrub pines and under-
growth. It feeds on insects. Occasion-
ally the male perches on a twig and
utters a harsh song, which has been
compared to the screech of the cicada.

The remaining member of this family
recorded from the Yangtse Valley is the
Bed-headed Babbler (Stachyrhidopsis
ruficeps). It is not at all commofl but
Styan found it in the hills near Hang-
chow. It ranges south to India. It is
olive green above, olive yellow below,
with a chestnut forehead, crown, and
nape. It is about the size of the Brown
Streaked Hill Warbler (Suya crinigera),
but the tail is not nearly so long.

Family, Pycnonotidae, Tbe Bulbuls or
Fralt Thrushes.

Bulbuls have rather short tarsi, and,
as arule, numerous rictal bristles. There
are always some " hairs " springing
from the neck, sometimes very in-

( 136 )

conspicuous, but never entirely absent.
The shape of the wings and tail, as
well as the coloration, varies quite
widely. There is usually a crest.

Bulbuls are non-migratory, arboreal,
and gregarious in their habits, and the
majority have a melodious cheerful
song. The name " Bulbul " is Persian
for Nightingale, and though the two
families of birds are quite different, has
been applied to these birds from their
habit of sometimes singing at night in
the early summer, or spring.

Their food consists mainly of fruits,
berries, and seeds.

This is an Old World family of about
two hundred and fifty species, eight of
which are found in China, and five in
the Yangtse Valley.

CHINESE BULBUL
(BLACK-HEADED BULBUL.)

PYCNONOTUS SINENSIS (gm).

Description. — Length eight inches.
Bill, tarsus, and iris, black.

Top of the head black, with the
nape and a spot behind the eyes white.
Back and rump gray mixed greenish
yellow. Wings and tail gray tinted
greenish yellow. Throat white. Breast
and flanks grayish brown washed with
yellow.

Distribution. — South China, a very
common resident in the Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — Nests are placed
in the shrubbery of gardens, or thickets.
They are quite fond of building in the
thick, green foliage of the mulberries
early in the spring, and many nests
are destroyed every year, when the
first crop of leaves are gathered to feed
the silk worms.

( 137 )

The nest is a cup of coarse grass
tops with the flower spikes attached
lined with fine roots. The eggs are
yellowish white, spotted and blotched
with lavender and gray.

Notes. — This very common bird
gathers in loose flocks during the
winter. It is very fond of feeding on
the fruit of the China-berry tree
(Melia azedarach), visiting the tree
several times during the day, eating
only one or two berries each time. It
has a very sweet bubbling song.

The Yellow Vented Bulhtd, (Pycnon-
otus xanthorrous) is a much rarer bird ,
keeping almost entirely to the hills.
The upper plumage is brown, and the
spot behind the eye has a brownish
cast, but the most striking mark is
the bright yellow of the under tail
coverts, from which it takes its
popular name.

WHITE-HEADED BLACK
BULBUL.

HYSIPETES LEUCOCEPHALUS, (gm).

Description. — Length nine and one
half inches. Bill and tarsus orange red.
Iris brown.

The head and neck are white.
The rest of the body above is black,
excepting some white on the point of
the wing. The under parts are a very
dark gray, with some of the feathers of
the middle breast, abdomen, and lower
tail coverts, tipped white.

Young birds are grayish all over.

Distribution. — Central and south
China, resident in the hills of the

( 138 )

Yangtse Valley, and- sometimes found
on the plains.

Nest and Eggs. — The nest is a com-
pact shallow cup of moss coarse grass
and strips of bark, lined with pine
needles and grass. The eggs are
yellowish white, spotted all over with
lavender gray and very dark red.

Notes. — These birds are quite com-
mon in the bamboo covered hills
around Mokanshan. They have a very
pleasing song usually uttered on the
wing, something like the syllables,
" whit-la clee-eer ", repeated in various
combinations, with emphasis on the
last syllable. They also have a cry
much like the American Cat-bird
(Galeoscoptes carolinensis) which is
usually uttered from a perch.

The Blue Bulbul, (Hysipetes amauro-
tis), is a south China species, occurring
in the Yangtse Valley only as a stray.
The upper plumage is brown washed
with blue. The throat and breast are
bluish gray, and the abdomen white.

BLACK-HEADED FINCH-BILLED
BULBUL.

SPIZIXOS SBMITOEQUES, SWINH.

Description. — Length eight inches.
Bill yellow, thick and Finch-like.
Tarsus purplish-brown. Iris brown.

Crown, cheeks, chin, and throat
black. Nape gray mixed with black.
There is a white collar extending from
the sides of the nape around the throat,
and some white mixed with the black
of the cheeks. Rich yellowish green
above, breast and flanks lighter.

( 139 )

Abdomen and under tail coverts yellow.
Wings and tail yellowish black, the
tail having a terminal black band.

Eeadily identified by its Finch-like
bill.

Distribution. — Central and south
China, resident in the Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — The nest is very
delicately made of small twigs, roots,
and grass flower tops, often with some
silk fiber interwoven, and lined with
roots and hair. It is attached to the
tree with cobwebs, or fine twigs, or
both.

The eggs are yellowish white,
heavily streaked with brownish red and
grayish violet.

Notes. — This bird, while found in the
plains, seems to prefer the foothills. It
is quite abundant in summer around
the base of Mokanshan.

Family, Husclcapidae, Old World Flycatchers.

Flycatchers constitute a very large
group of small. Old World birds, which
must not be confused with the
American Flycatchers (Tyrannidae),
from which they are entirely distinct.

Typically, the Old World Fly-
catchers have a broad flat bill, in
some extremely broad, in others less
so. All, however, have both edges of
the mandibles smooth, the upper one
with a simple terminal notch. There
are numerous hairs over the nostrils.
The tarsi and feet are too weak for
walking on the ground. This quite
distinguishes them from the Thrushes,
which they resemble in the mottled
plumage of the nestlings.

Flycatchers are almost strictly
insectivorous, catching most of their

( 140 )

prey on the wing. They are rather
solitary in habit, usually frequenting
trees of open woodlands and gardens.

This large family consists of nearly
one hundred genera, and over seven
hundred species, of which twenty-one
are found in China, and eleven reach
the Yangtse Valley.

RED-THEOATED FLYCATCHER.

SIPHIA ALBICILLA (PALLAS).
[Muscicapa albicilla (pal.)]

Description. — Length four and three
quarters inches. Bill dark brown.
Tarsus black. Iris brown.

Male. Fulvous brown above, sides
of the face gray, with a white circle
around the eyes. Chin and throat
bright chestnut. Breast and abdomen
whitish gray. Upper tail coverts black.
Wings brown, feathers edged fulvous.
Two middle pairs of tail feathers black,
others more or less white at base-

Female has the throat white, and
the under parts somewhat suffused
with buflf.

Young are mottled yellowish and
brown above, and yellowish below.

Distribution. — India and China,
migrant in the Yangtse Valley. In
Europe the place of this bird is taken
by the Red-breasted Flycatcher (Siphia
parva).

The Red-throated Flycatcher is
common all over China in the migrating
season. It is sociable in its habits,
and is often seen in gardens, where it
takes its food of insects on the ground
rather than on the wing as is the
habit of most of the Flycatchers.

( 141 )
BEOWN FLYCATCHER.

ALSEONAX LATIROSTRIS, (rAFFLEs).

Description. — Length five inches.
Bill black, lower mandible yellowish
at the base. Tarsus dark brown. Iris
chocolate.

A white circle around the eyes, and
continued as a line to the base of the
bill. Grayish brown above, passing
into black on the tail and wings.
Secondaries and greater coverts bordered
with tawny. Below white, breast and
flanks washed with grayish brown, but
without spots or streaks.

Distribution. — Siberia to India, and
all over China and Japan. A common
migrant in the Yangtse Valley, passing
in April, May, and September. Breeds
in the Himalayas and North China.

SIBERIAN FLYCATCHER.

HEMICHELIDON SIBIRICA, GM.

Description. — Length four and three
quarters inches. Bill, upper mandible
dark brown, lower yellowish. Tarsus
brownish black. Iris brown.

Cheeks gray, mixed with whitish.
A ring of white feathers around the
eye, and an indigtinct white patch on
the lower throat. Dusky brown above,
feathers of the head with dark centers,
and those of the wings edged paler.
Smoky brown below, the breast, abdo-
men, and under tail coverts, washed
whitish. Tail plain brown.

The young have the feathers much
mottled with white above, and below
are lighter than the adult and mottled
with brown.

( 142 )

Distribution. — China, Japan, and
south eastern Asia. Migrant in the
Yangtse Valley, breeding in the Hima-
layas, north China, and Siberia.

GRAY-SPOTTED FLYCATCHER.

HEMICHELIDON GEISEISTICTA, SWINH.
(Muscicapa grisola, L.)

Description. — Length five inches.
Bill black, yellow at base of lower
mandible. Tarsus black. Iris brown.

Brown above, feathers of the top of
the head with dark centers, and those
of the wings edged fulvous. Lores
and cheeks whitish, with an irregular
dark moustachial streak, and a buff
ring around the eye. Lower plumage
white, spotted and streaked brown.

This bird very closely resembles the
Brown Flycatcher (^.Iseonaxlatirostris),
but may be distinguished by the spots
on the feathers of the lower parts.

Distribution. — All China and Mal-
aysia. Passes the Yangtse Valley in
migration, when it is found in the woods
on the hills, but is not very common.

ROBIN FLYCATCHER.

POLIOMYIAS LUTEOLA, PALL.

Description. — Length five inches.

Male. — Upper parts grayish black,
with grayish white shafts to the
feathers of the back. Wing quills
brownish margined lighter. Median
and greater wing coverts white.
A small white spot behind the
eye. Upper tail coverts black. Tail
quills black with white bases, except
the two central ones. Under parts
deep orange except the abdomen,
which is white.

( 143 )

Female. — Olive brown above, yello-
wish gray on the lores, and paler below,
otherwise like the male.

Young like the female, but with two
huffish bars on the wings.

Distribution. — China, Siberia, and
Japan. Migrant in the Yangtse
Valley.

Not very common in China, but to
be found almost anywhere in small
numbers in the migrating season.

TEICOLOE FLYCATCHER.

XANTHOPYGIA XANTHOPYGIA, (hAY)
(Xanthopygia tricolor, Blyth.)

Description. — Length four and one-
half inches. Bill and iris black.
Tarsus bluish.

Male. — General color of upper plum-
age black. Rump, breast, and abdomen,
bright yellow. A very conspicuous
white eyebrow. Wings black with a
white band on the inner greater
coverts, and along the outer web of
one of the inner secondaries.

Female. — Olive brown above, paler
yellow on the rump and under parts,
obscure grayish streaks on the throat
and chest.

Distribution.— Ohmz,, Siberia, and
Malaysia. Summer visitant in the
Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs.~The nest is built
in holes in trees, usually near the
water. It is a very fragile structure
of fine leaves, roots, grass, and hair.
There are five light pink eggs, speckled
brownish red and purple, heaviest
toward the larger end.

The Narcissus Flycatcher, (Xan-
thopygia narcissina, Temm.) closely

( 144 )

resembles this bird, but differs in having
a yellow eyebrow, and no white line on
the secondaries. It is also a migrant
in the Yangtse Valley.

Another migrant, the Blue and White
Flycatcher, (Cyanoptila cyanomalaena,
Temm.) may be distinguished by the
blue of the upper parts, the white at
the base of the tail feathers, and the
breast, black in the male, yellowish
white in the female.

INGE'S PABADISE FLYCATCHEE.

TBRPSIPHONE INCH, GOULD.

Description.— Length male seventeen
and one-half inches, of which the tail
is about twelve and one-half inches.
Female eight inches. Bill and eyelids
cobalt blue, angle of mouth green.
Tarsus greenish. Iris brown.

Male has two phases of plumage.
In the rufous phase, the general color
of the upper parts is a deep rufous,
wing quills black along the ribs. Whole
head a greenish irridescent black.
Breast ashy gray. Eest of the under
parts white washed grayish on the
flanks. In the white phase, the head
remains the same, but the rufous of
the upper parts, wings and tail becomes
white, with black shaft lines to many
of the feathers.

The change of plumage has caused
some confusion in the nomenclature of
this bird, and there has been much
difference of opinion as to how and
when the change takes place.

Female, very similar to the rufous
phase of the male, except the head is
duller as is the rufous of the upper
parts, and the lower parts are cream
white. The tail is much shorter.

( 145 )

Distribution. — China and Malaysia.
A rather uncommon, but striking sum-
mer visitant in the Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — The nest is a
compact cup, placed in the fork of a
branch, about fifteen feet high. It is
made of leaves, grass, roots, moss, and
hair, bound together and decorated
with cobwebs, lichens, and spider web
cases. There are four yellowish eggs,
splotched deep brown and purple.

JAPANESE PAEADISE
FLYCATCHER.

TERPSIPHONE PRINCEPS, TEMM.

Description. — Very similar to Ince's
Paradise Flycatcher in the rufous
phase, except that the whole upper
plumage iu the male and the top of the
head in the female, has a purplish
gloss, and the under parts in both
sexes are creamy white.

Distribution. — Breeds in Japan, and
winters in Malaysia, passing the China
coast in migration.

The only other Flycatcher recorded
from the Yangtse Valley is a stray
from extreme south western China,
( Cryptolopha valentini. Hart, or C.
tephrocephala, And.) and is not likely
to be met with.

Family, Turdidae, The Thrushes.

Thrushes are medium sized or small
birds, with a relatively long and a
distinctly notched bill, more or less
thickly set with rictal bristles. The
tarsus is strong, long or medium, and
booted, i. e. covered with long plates
and not with small scales.

( 146 )

The wings of ten primaries are
usually long and pointed, and the tail
of twelve feathers, usually square or
rounded. The plumage is mostly plain
brown or black, often varied with
white, gray, chestnut or rufous. There
is a decided tendency to a white breast
spotted brown, and the plumage of
nestlings is almost always spotted.

Thrushes are largely terrestrial and
insectivorous in their habits, though
some of them also eat fruits.

The family numbers between five
and six hundred species, with re-
presentatives in all parts of the globe.
Twenty-three species reach the Yangtse
Valley.

CHINESE BLACKBIRD.

PLANESTICUS MANDARINUS (Bp).
[Merula mandarina (Bp).]

Description. — Length eleven and one
half inches. Bill yellow. Tarsus,
feet, and claws, nearly black. Iris
brown.

Mature birds are dull black all over
the entire body. In younger bii'ds
the throat and breast are quite
perceptibly streaked, and the black is
decidedly more dusky.

Distribution. — Central and south
China, west even to Szechuen Province.
A common resident in the Yangtse
Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — The nests is usually
built some distance above the ground,
in the large forks of trees, or on the
wide base of a limb. It is made of
grasses or small twigs, cemented
together with mud ; frequently bits of
papers are found embedded in the
structure. We have recently found a
nest built in an old nest of a Magpie.

( 147 )

There are two broods each year, the
first hardly getting out of the nest and
about, before the other follows.

If undisturbed the birds frequently
make use of the satae nest for several
consecutive years, simply repairing it
each season.

The eggs are pale green, blotched
and speckled with red, over underly-
ing spots of violet.

Notes. — This is one of our finest
songsters during the breeding season.
The song is quite varied and sweet.
It also has an alarm cry very much
like that of the American Catbird (G.
carolinensis). In habits, however, it
much more closely resembles the
American Kobin (P. migratorius).

GREY-BACKED OUSEL.

TURDUS HOETULORUM, SCHLATER.

Description. — Length nine and one
half inches. Bill orange yellow. Tarsus,
feet, and claws, yellow.

Upper parts dark gray without
markings, slightly shaded with olive
on the head. Under parts white,
throat and breast having triangular
black spots in the female, and a
deep washing of gray, with fewer
spots in the male. Sides of the
breast, axillaries, and flanks, golden
rufous, the depth of color varying with
individuals.

Distribution. — China generally,
though more common in the south.
Passes the Yangtse Valley in migration.

( 148 )
THE GRAY OUSEL.

TUEDUS OBSCURUS (gm).
Description. — Length eleven and one
half inches.

Head, fchroat, and nock, dark
ash gray. A white eyebrow, and
a few white sports below the eye.
Back, wings, and tail, olive brown, the
latter with a small white patch at the
tip of the outer feathers. Breast and
flanks rufous yellow, abdomen white.

The female has a white throat with
a few dark spots.

Distribution. — Winters in China
Japan and Malaysia, and breeds in
Siberia. Passes the Yangtse Valley
on migration.

THE PALE OUSEL.

TUEDUS PALLIDUS (gm).

Description. — Length nine and one
half inches. Bill dark brown, yellow
at the base of the upper mandible.
Tarsus, feet, and claws, pale brown.

Upper parts olive brown. Neck,
sides of breast, and flanks, gray. Breast
and abdomen grayish white. Wings
and tail grayish brown. There is no
distinct eyebrow, but a circle of yellow
skin around the eyelids.

Distribution. — Winters in Japan,
Formosa, and south China, passes the
Yangtse Valley on migration to breed
in the Valley of the Amoor.

Notes. — This bird is as a rule solitary,
preferring thick cover. However, it
sometimes comes to open places to
feed, and may even be seen on our
lawns hunting for insects.

( 149 )
THE EED-TAILED OUSEL.

TUBDUS NAUMANNI, TEMM.

Description. — Length nine and one
half inches. Bill brown, pale at the
base of the upper mandible. Tarsus,
feet, and claws, brown. Iris dark
brown.

Head and neck brown, with
a white eyebrow. Upper parts warm
brown, feathers bordered with ashy.
Throat and breast rusty red, the
centers of the feathers sometimes
black, forming spots, and each feather
bordered with white. Abdomen most-
ly white. Flanks and under tail coverts
rusty red. Wings brown, feathers
edged with pale yellow. Outer tail
feathers rusty red, the central ones
shaded more or less with dark brown.

The intensity of the colors, and the
number of spots on the throat and
breast, are subject to considerable
rariation, but the brownish red breast,
and rusty red tail serve as marks for
identification.

Distribution — Eastern Asia, oc-
casionally reaching Europe. Breeds
in Siberia and Manchuria, and winters
in the Yangtse Valley.

Notes. — These birds gather in small
flocks to feed in cultivated ground.
They are especially fond of the mul-
berry groves in winter, where they
may be frequently found, either singly
or in small groups.

This bird often approaches very close
to the Dusky Ousel (Turdus eunomus)
but never intergrades with it.

( 150 )
THE DUSKY OUSEL.

TUEDUS EUNOMUS (tEMM).
(Merula fuscata, Pall.)

Description. — Length nine and one
half inches. Bill black above, yellow
below. Tarsus dull brown, Iris brown.

Head, auriculars and neck brown.
A conspicuous white eyebrow. Back
and rump dusky brown, feathers
bordered with pale rufous. Tail dark
brown. Throat yellowish, with black
spots. Breast brown, with a sort of
necklace of black spots. Flanks brown
spotted black. Abdomen mostly white.
Under tail coverts reddish brown.

This bird frequently approaches
quite closely to the Eed-tailed Ousel
(Turdus naumanni), but the brown
tail, the necklace of black spots on the
breast, and the greater amount of black
on the under parts serve to distinguish
it.

Distribution. — Europe, northern
Asia, China, and Japan. Winters in
the Yangtse Valley in small numbers,
much more plentiful in migration.

The Brown Japanese Ousel (Turdus
chrysolaus) may also occur in the
winter season. It is also similar to
the Eed-tailed Ousel, and the Dusky
Ousel, but may be distinguished by the
entire absence of an eyebrow, or of
dark spots on the breast. It is resident
in Japau, but some individuals cross to
China in the winter.

THE VIOLET WHISTLING
THRUSH.

MYIOPHONOUS CAEEULEUS (sCOP).
Description. — Length thirteen inches.
The whole plumage is dark indigo blue,

( 151 )

all the feathers being tipped with a
brighter blue.

Distribution. — All China, though rare
in the north. Resident in the higher
mountains of the Yangtse Valley.
Quite common on Ruling.

Nest and Eggs. — The nests are placed
along the rocky banks of mountain
streams, usually in some niche near
the water. They are built of earth
and fine roots, with an inner lining of
rootlets and dead leaves, frequently of
the bamboo. There are four dull
reddish eggs, speckled more or less
with other shades of red.

These birds are said to desert their
nests on very slight provocation.

Notes. — This is a very conspicuous
bird, inhabiting the borders of the wild
mountain streams, and living a solitary
life. It takes aquatic insects and
larvae from the water, but does not
dive like the Dipper (Cinclus souliei).
It has a very sweet song.

The Siheriaji Ground Thrush
(Cichloselys sibiricus) and White's
Ground Thrush (Oreociucla varia),
occur as migrants in the Yangtse
Valley, usually in the hills, but are
rarely met with.

Three species of Rock Thrushes
have also been recorded, the Bed-
hellied Bock Thrush (Petrophila
manilla), a rare resident in the gorges
of the upper Yangtse, and on the rocky
islands off the coast ;

The Bed-breasted Bock Thrush
(Petrophila solitaria), a stray in the
higher hills of the Yangtse Valley ; and
the White-throated Bock Thrush
(Petrophila gularis), a rare migrant.

( 152 )
THE DAYAL BIRD.

COPSYCHUS SAULARIS (lINN.)

Description. — Length nine and one
half inches. Bill black. Tarsus
plumbeous. Iris brown.

Male. — Plumage black, irridescent ;
wing coverts, abdomen, sides, and four
lateral retrices on each side, white.
Flanks and under tail coverts dark
gray.

Inthe female, grayish brown replaces
the black of the upper parts and gray
below.

Distribution. — India and south
China. Summer visitant in the Yangtse
Valley. Has been taken in summer
on Mokanshan.

Nest and Eggs. — It builds a rough
nest in holes in trees or old walls,
laying five greenish white eggs, marked
with reddish brown.

Notes. — This bird may be seen in
numbers in any village of south China,
flying about the trees and undergrowth,
even venturing into houses. Although
singing a gentle song, it is a born fighter.
Its food consists principally of insects.

THE DAUEIAN REDSTART.

PHOENICURUS AUROREUS (pALL).
(Ruticilla aurorea, Pall.)

Description. — Length six inches,
Bill black. Tarsus black. Iris deep
brown.

Male. — Crown and nape gray, rest
of the head, back, and wings black. A
large white spot in the center of the
secondaries. Rump, tail, and under
parts, bright rufous, but the tail has
the two median retrices brown.
Females have the upper parts olive
brown, and the under parts lighter,

( 153 )

washed with red. Wings have a small
white bar. Tail nearly same as in the
male.

Distribution. — Eastern Asia. A very
common winter visitant in the Yangtse
Valley, but some seem to breed on
Kuling.

Nest and Eggs. — A nest taken from
the inside of a veranda on Kuling
closely resembled that of the American
Pewee Flycatcher (Myiochanes virens).

Notes. — This bird is often seen in
the shrubbery around our homes
during the winter. Its striking colors,
and nervous habit of starting or
twitching on its perch, readily identify
it. The call is a simple plaintive note,
uttered with monotonous regularity.

THE PLUMBEOUS WATER
REDSTART.

RHYACORNIS FULIGINOSUS (viGORS).

Description. — Length five and one
half inches. Bill black. Tarsus dark
brown. Iris brown.

Male. — Plumage dark lead blue.
Rump and tail brownish red. Wings
brownish black with bluish margins
to feathers.

Female. — Dull olive brown above,
white below, with crescentric brown
markings on each feather. Upper
and lower tail coverts, and base of
tail quills, white.

Distribution. — Eastern Asia. Re-
sident on the mountain streams of
the Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — The nest is a cup
of moss, lined with hair, or fine roots.
It is placed on a shelf of rock or the
bank of a stream. There are three

( 154 )

greenish white eggs, thickly spotted
brown.

Notes. — These pretty little birds are
seen along the mountain streams,
where they live usually in pairs.
From the vantage ground of a pro-
jecting rock, they will dash out over
the stream after a passing insect,
returning immediately to their start-
ing point.

THE RUBY THROAT

CALLIOPE CALLIOPE (pALL).

Description. — Length seven inches.
Bill light brown, white at gape. Tarsus
pale plumbeous. Iris brown.

A prominent white eyestripe and
moustache. Lores and space under the
eye black. Upper parts olive brown.
Throat brilliant ruby red, each feather
margined white at the tip, and the
whole patch bordered by black. Breast
gray, Abdomen and under tail coverts
white. Wings and tails brown, the
latter edged on the outer webs with
olive brown.

The female has the throat white,
and the eyestripe buff.

Distribution. — India, and south
China during the winter, nesting in
Siberia and northern Asia. Passes the
Yangtse Valley in migration.

THE BLUE WOODCHAT.

larvivora cyanea, pall.

Description. — Length five and one
half inches. Bill, upper mandible dark
brown in the male, pale brown in the
female, lower mandible pale. Tarsus
flesh color. Iris brown.

( 155 )

Male. — Bright blue above and almost
pure white below. Sides of the body
washed with blue. Wings and tail
brown, washed blue on the outer webs.
Eegion at the base of the bill, lores and
a line under the cheeks are black.

Females and young males are olive
brown tinged rufous above, dull white
below, fulvous at the sides with a
slight mottling of brown.

Distribution. — Europe, Siberia, and
all China, passing the Yangtse Valley
in migration.

Notes. — This bird frequents the thick
cover, keeping almost entirely to the
ground, and is usually found singly or
in pairs.

THE BLUE-TAILED ROBIN.

lANTHIA CYANUEA (pALL).

Description. — Length five and one
half inches. Bill black. Tarsus
reddish brown. Iris brown.

Male. — There is a white circle
around the eye, and a white line to
the base of the bill. Brilliant blue
above, and pure white below. Flanks
with a tint of blue, olive spots on the
side of the neck and breast forming a
more or less distinct band across the
breast. The sides in both sexes are
washed with golden rufous. The
wings are dusky brown, with a slight
bluish tinge in the male, and yellowish
in the female. The tail appears blue
in flight.

Female and yoking males, are olive
above, and dull white below, tinted
with olive.

Distribution. — Siberia and China. A
winter visitant in the Yangtse Valley.

( 156 )

Notes. — These little birds are fairly
common in the shrubbery in the
winter, though rarely more than one
is seen at a time.

Other members of this family
which have been recorded from the
Yangtse Valley are :

The Bhie Throat (Cyanosylvia
sueccia robusta) occurs as a rare
migrant. The male has a bright blue
throat, with a chestnut spot in the
center, a black and then a chestnut
band below.

One other Woodchat (Erithacus
sibilans) sometimes passes on migration,
It is a small reddish brown bird with a
red tail.

The Eastern Stonechat (Pratincola
maura) is arare migrant, and the Gray
Stonechat (Oreicola ferrea), breeds on
the hills of the upper Yangtse.
Neither of these are likely to be met
with.

Family.lCinclldae, The Dippers.

Dippers are compact, plump-bodied
birds, with very stout legs, short,
rounded, and very concave wings, and
a short tail of twelve feathers. They
are dicidedly Wren-like in appearance,
and like the Wrens have no rictal
bristles. The whole plumage is very
loose, with a thick covering of down
beneath the outer contour feathers.

Their food consists chiefly of aquatic
insects and their larvae, taken from
the shallows of the swift streams which
they frequent.

This a small family of a single genus,
and about a dozen species, divided
between the Old and the New Worlds.
China has three species, of which one
is found in the Yangtse Valley.

( 157 )
SOUTH CHINA DIPPER.

CINCLUS PALLASI SOULIEI, OUSTALET.

Dcscnvtion. — Length eight and one
half inches. Bill, black. Tarsus, black,
toes gray. Iris brown.

The plumage is uniform brownish
black all over, in adult birds of both
sexes, except for a few white feathers
on the eyelids.

In young birds the feathers of the
upper plumage are edged rufous, n.nd
those below gray ; the tail and wing
feathers are narrowly tipped white.

Distribution. — China generally,
though rare in the north. Resident in
the Yangtse Valley, along the moun-
tain streams.

Nest and Eggs. — The nest is a large
domed structure, built of moss among
rocks or the roots of trees near the
water. The eggs are white.

Notes. — This Dipper is fairly com-
mon along the mountain streams,
where it plunges fearlessly into the
swift current after its food. It docs
not swim with its feet, but wades
under water, and can propel itself
through the water by the use of its
wings. It is often seen flying swiftly
along a stream just above the surface
of the water, uttering its single
whistled note, either while on the
wing, or from a perch on some rock.

Family, Troglodytldae, The Werns.

In this Family the bill is slender,
long, and compressed, curved more or
less downward toward the tip. The
rictal bristles are obsolete. The anterior
toes are united at the base. The wings
are short, concave, rounded, with ten
primaries, the fourth to the eighth

( 158 )

being the longest. The tail is short,
graduated, and usually carried erect.
The plumage is mostly dull in color,
with brown or gray predominating.

Wrens are usually found on low
shrubs, or trees near the ground, where
they feed largely on insects.

Only a few of the 125 species belong-
ing to this family are found in the Old
World. China has five species, and
the Yangtse Valley one.

THE EASTEEN WREN.

ANORTHURA FUMIGATA (t. & S.)

Description. — Length three and one
half inches. A yellowish eyebrow.
Plumage dark rufous brown, a little
lighter on the under parts. Rump,
wings, and tail, with many fine
transverse black bars. Feathers on
the sides of the head and the neck
with light centers. Lower breast to
under tail coverts barred.

This bird differs from the European
species (Anorthura parvulus) chiefly
in being slightly darker.

Distribution. — Europe and Asia,
including North China and Japan. A
winter visitant in the Yangtse Valley.

Family, Sylviidae, The Old World Warblers.

The Old World Warblers must be
clearly distinguished from the Amer-
ican, or Wood Warblers (Mniotiltidae),
which are an entirely different Family.

The Sylviidae have a rather slender
bill, both mandibles with smooth edges,
or the upper one only with a simple
notch. The tarsus is booted ; the
nostrils are clear of the line of the
forehead; and the tongue is non-tubular.
The wings are comparatively short and

( 159 )

broad, and the tail contains twelve
feathers.

They are small birds, usually of
plain plumage. INIany species resemble
each other so closely that it is diflficult
to distinguish them without having
the bird in one's hand.

The sexes are alike with few
exceptions. The young, while having
the same color pattern as the adult,
are more highly colored.

Warblers are mainly insectivorous,
though some also take small moUusks,
and, to a limited extent, fruit.

The Family consists of between five
and six hundred species, divided among
sixty-five genera. China has sixty-
three species, seventeen of which
reach the Yangtse Valley.

PALLAS' GRASSHOPPER
WARBLER.

LOCUSTELLA CERTHIOLA, L.

Description. — Length five and one
half inches. Bill yellow. Tarsus
white. Iris brown.

A narrow indistinct yellowish white
eye-stripe. Above the feathers are
dark olive, bordered rufous, having fine
black streaks on the back and especially
on the head. In old birds there is a
rufous olive collar behind the nape
without streaks. Throat and abdomen
yellowish white. Breast pale yellowish
brown, rest of the under parts olive in
adults, either not streaked at all, or
with only a few tiny marks on the
sides and breast. In winter the
yellow tinge is lacking. Tail feathers
black margined rufous, and broadly
tipped white, this forming a dis-
tinguishing mark for the species.

{ 160 )

Young birds in first plumage up to
October have more yellow on the lower
parts, the throat and breast distinctly
spotted, and the dark centers and
rufous edges of the upper feathers
more distinct. Later, from October
to November, the rufous edges increase
in size, and the spots disappear from
the throat and breast. Adult plumage
is assumed during the winter.

All three phases of plumage may be
met with in the fall, but only the
adult phase in the spring.

Distribution. — This Warbler breeds
in eastern Siberia, passing the Yangtse
Valley on migration to winter in
India.

STEEAKED GKASSHOPPER
WARBLER.

LOCUSTELLA LANCEOLATA, TEMM.

Description. — Length five inches.
Bill dark brown, yellow at the base of
the lower mandible. Tarsus white.
Iris brown.

Eye-stripe almost obsolete. Upper
parts olive brown, the feathers all
having conspicuous blackish centers.
The lower parts are white, with a
varying amount of yellow washing,
most of the feathers being streaked
black. Sometimes the upper throat,
abdomen, and lower tail coverts are
without streaks. The tail is plain rus-
set brown with no white tip above or
below, serving to distinguish it from
Pallas' Grasshopper Warbler.

Distribution. — Eastern Europe,
Siberia, and China generally, passing
the Yangtse Valley on migration to
winter in Burmah and India.

( 161 )

GEAY'S GEASSHOPPER
WAEBLEE.

LOCUSTELLA FASCIOLATA, GRAY.

Description. — Length seven inches.
Bill dark brown above, yellowish be-
low. Tarsus flesh color. Iris brown.

The upper parts are nearly uniform
warm russet brown. Throat grayish
white, abdomen lighter, and breast
darker. Sides of the body, flanks, and
under tail coverts, olive or ochraceous
brown. The larger size will serve to
distinguish this from the other Grass-
hopper Warblers.

Distribution. — Breeds in Siberia,
and passes Japan and the China coast
to winter in the Malay Archipelago.

EASTERN GREAT REED
WARBLER.

ACROCEPHALUS ORIENTALIS (t. & S.).

Descriptio7i. — Length seven and one
half inches. Bill dusky above lighter
below. Tarsus dark horn color. Iris
brown.

An indistinct yellowish eye-brow.
Upper parts olive washed with
rufous. Below yellowish white,
usually with numerous brown streaks
on the throat and upper breast.
Sides of breast and flanks pale olive
brown, sometimes with a yellowish
tint. Wings and tail dark brown,
feathers edged lighter.

Distribution. — Siberia, Japan, all
China, and Maylasia. Breeds in the
Yangtse Valley and north, wintering
to the south.

Nest arid Eggs. — The nest is built
among high reeds usually quite near
or over the water. It is attached to

( 162 )

the stems of several reeds, just above
high -water line. The shape varies
according to position. It is built of
grasses, roots, and weeds, usually lined
with grass or reed tops. The eggs are
greenish, variously splotched with
browns and purples.

Notes. — These Warblers are rarely
found away from the marshes or water
courses, where they may be heard all
through the breeding season, singing
their loud rather harsh song. They
are great skulkers, and are much more
difficult to see than to hear.

SCHEENCK'S EEED WAEBLER.

ACROCEPHALUS BISTRIGICEPS, SWINH.

Description, — Length five inches.
Bill brown, lower mandible yellowish
at base. Tarsus plumbeous flesh color.
Iris brown.

Upper parts russet brown, lighter
on the rump and upper tail coverts.
Wings and tail brown, edged russet
on the outer webs. Tail rounded.
Below white tinted with olive, except
on the chin and throat. Yellowish on
the sides of the neck, flanks, and under
tail coverts. A very distinct yellowish
eyebrow, with a black stripe above.
This double eyebrow makes the bird
easy to identify.

Distribution. — Eange and habits are
very similar to to the Great Eeed
Warbler, but it is not nearly so com-
mon, and is more frequently found
away from the water.

Another Eeed Warbler which may
be found in summer is the Paddy-field
Warbler (Acrocephalus agricola). It
is about the same size and coloration

( 163 )

ag Schrenk's Reed Warbler, bufc lacks
fehe double eyebrow, and is rarely
found away from fche water.

CHINESE BUSH WARBLER.

HORORNIS CANTURIANS, (sWIn).

(Oettia canturians (Sw.))
Description. — Length male six and
one half inches. Female five and one
half inches.

Bill brown, paler on the lower
mandible. Tarsus brownish flesh color.
Iris hazel.

Male. — Olive brown above, with a
reddish cast in winter. Tawny below,
sides of the breast brownish, chin,
throat, and abdomen, white. Broad
rather indistinct yellowish white eye-
brow. Lores and a band behind the
eye dusky.

Female. — Similar to the male but
considerably smaller in size, with the
dark line behind the eye indistinct, and
more reddish borders to the tail
feathers.

For a long time the female was re-
garded as a separate species on account
of the rather remarkable difference in
the size of the two sexes. It was
known as Horornis minuta, until the
error was pointed out by Mr. J. D. La
Touche in 1906.

Distribution. — China, Formosa,
Hainan, and India. Resident in the
Yangtse Valley, which is the northern
limit of its winter quarters. It is
quite scarce here in the winter, but
more abundant in summer.

Nest and Eggs. — This Warbler
builds a domed nest with an entrance

( 164 )

near the top. It is a loosely con-
structed nest, the outer portion being
largely made of coarse dead leaves, such
as grasses, bamboo, etc. The lining is
made of softer and finer materials such
as feathers, downy grass tops, and fine,
fibrous, stems and rootlets.

The nests are generally placed in
thick, low bushes on the hill sides and
are placed close to the ground.

There are usually four or five eggs in
a clutch, and they vary in coloring
from a light red to dark brick red, the
former being the more common color.
Sometimes there are slight marking of
a deeper tint.

SOUTH CHINA BUSH WAEBLER-

HORORNIS PORTIPES (hODG.)
(Cettia fortipes, Hodg.)

Descri2)tion. — Length four and a half
inches. Bill pale brown. Tarsus dark
brown. Iris hazel.

Olive brown tinged rufous above.
Yellowish brown or almost white
below. Flanks brown. An indistinct
yellowish eyestreak. Lores and behind
the eye dark brown. Wings and tail
dark brown edged rufous. Both sexes
same size.

Distribution. — "West and south China
to the Himalayas. Resident in the
Yangtse Valley, chiefly on the hills,
though only a few remain for the
winter.

Nest and Eggs. — The nest is built in
a low bush. It is a rough dome-shaped
structure of grass and leaves, lined with
feathers. The entrance is at the side.
The four eggs are a glossy chocolate
red, darker at the large end.

( 165 )

RUFOUS FAN-TAIL WARBLER.

cisticola cisticola tinnabulans
(swinhoe).

Description. — Length four and one
half inches, tail shghtly longer in the
winter. Bill flesh color, darker on the
culmen. Tarsus reddish yellow. Iris
light brown.

Dark brown above, the feathers of
the head and back bordered with
rufous and gray. Rump rufous.
Throat and abdomen whitish, flanks
and breast washed with rufous. Tail
fan-shaped, with transverse stripes
of rufous, brown, black, and white.
The rufous shade is less prominent in
the winter.

Distribution. — China generally. A
common resident in the Yangtse
Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — The nest is a deep
tubular pocket of felted grass-down
fastened by cobwebs to a clump of
standing grasses. Its location varies
from a few inches to more than a foot
above the ground. There are usually
five greenish white eggs, splotched with
various shades of red and purple.

Notes. — It is hard to see this little
bird on the ground as it creeps along
among the grasses. When flushed, it
will alight on a weed stalk for only an
instant to take observations, and then
drop to the ground again. It is often
heard, however, as it flies about high in
the air repeating its shrill call, " pete,
pete, pete," though the sound is very
difficult to locate. As it comes to the
ground, the call is changed to a sharp
' chip, chip, chip," so different in
sound that one does not readily
associate the two calls with the same
bird.

( 166 )

The Chinese boys, unable to locate
the flight call, " pete," often explain
that it is the call of the earthworm !

PALLAS' WILLOW WARBLER.

REGULOIDES PROEEGULUS (PALLAS).

Description. — Length three and one
half inches.

Olive green above, the head darker.
The crown has an irregular median
yellow stripe. Rump yellow. Below
white, washed with yellow, slightly
olive on the flanks. A yellow eyebrow
extending to the nape. The greater
and lesser wing coverts bordered
with yellow, forming two wing bars.
Wings and tail brown, feathers edged
greenish.

Distribution. — Siberia, China, and
India. A migrant in the Yangtse
Valley. Breeds in the Himalayas at
considerable altitudes.

YELLOW-BROWED WILLOW
WARBLER.

REGULOIDES SUPEECILIOSUS (gM.)

Description. — Length four and one
half inches. Bill brown, yellowish at
the base of the lower mandible. Tarsus
brownish flesh color. Iris brown.

Upper parts olive, darker on the
crown. Wing feathers brown, edged
with greenish, and tipped white. Two
distinct wing bars. Tail quills edged
yellowish green on the outer webs.
Below white, sides of breast and
abdomen pale olive yellow. The
crown with a faintly marked yellow
median stripe.

( 167 )

Distribution. — Europe and Asia,
Passes Yangtse Valley on migration.
a few remaining in north China to
breed.

CROWNED WILLOW WARBLER.

ACANTHOPNEUSTE CORONATA (tEMM).

Description. — Length five and one
half inches. Bill large, upper mandible
brown, lower yellowish. Tarsus plum-
beous. Iris hazel.

Crown greenish brown, with yellow
median stripe. A long prominent
yellow eyebrow. Rest of upper parts
yellowish green, washed with brown
on the back. Wings brown, feathers
edged yellowish green. Two distinct
yellowish wing bars. Below yellowish
white, deeper yellow on the ander
tail coverts. This Warbler is readily
recognized by the large size of
its bill, and by the yellow median stripe
on the crown, and the yellow under
tail coverts.

Distribution. — Siberia, China, Japan,
Java, and India. A migrant in the
Yangtse Valley, usually passing in
April.

ARCTIC WILLOW WARBLER.

ACANTHOPNEUSTE BOREALIS (bLAS.)
Description. — Bill dusky, yellowish
at base of lower mandible. Tarsus
yellowish flesh color. Iris brown.

Upper parts olive green, lighter on
the rump. Greater wing coverts
yellow, or gray at their ends. A long
yellow or whitish eye-brow. Below
white, washed with yellow. Sides of
the breast olive gray.

( 168 )

In summer, the back is grayer, the
pale tips on the wing coverts almost
disappear, and there is less yellow on
the under parts.

Distribution. — North-eastern Eu-
rope, across Asia to Alaska, Malay
Archipelago, Japan, and China
generally. Migrant in the Yangtse
Valley, more abundant in spring.

PALE-LEGGED WILLOW
WAEBLER.

acanthopneuste tenellipes
(swinhoe).

Description. — Length five inches.
Bill dusky brown, pale at the base
of lower mandible. Tarsus pale. Iris
brown.

Above olive brown, washed yellow,
deepest on the rump. Wings brown,
olive. Two yellowish wing bars, edged
yellowish the upper one indistinct. A
narrow yellowish eye-streak. Lower
plumage buffy white, deeper on the
flanks and vent.

Distribution. — China, Japan, Ma-
laysia, and India. Breeds in the
north, passing the Yangtse Valley on
migration.

Family, Regulidae, The Kinglets.

The Kinglets are a small family of
dainty little birds, with the soft, lax
plumage of the Tits. They have a short,
straight, slender, slightly notched bill ;
oval nostrils, which are covered by a
single peculiarly shaped feather, or a
tuft of feathers ; and sparse rictal
bristles. The wings are rounded, and
longer than the emarginate tail.

( 169 )

The Family comprises a single genua
of seven or eight species, very widely
distributed. Only one species reaches
the Yangtse Valley.

THE GOLD CREST.

REGULUS CRISTATUS, KOCH.

Description. — Length four inches.

Forehead, supercilium, and ear
coverts gray, rest of the upper plumage
dull green, yellowish on the rump. A
deep orangestripedownthemiddle of the
crown, bordered on either side by two
others of black. Wings and tail brown,
edged yellowish green. Two yellow bars
on the wing coverts, and a dark patch
on the primaries. Below pale buff.

Distribution. — Europe and most of
Asia, reaching the Yangtse Valley in
winter.

Family, Hirundinidae, The Swallows.

The Swallows are a well defined
group, characterized by long, pointed
wings, with nine primaries ; short,
flat, triangular, deeply cleft bills ; and
more or less emarginate, deeply forked
tails, of twelve feathers. Their tarsi
are short, and the feet weak, fitted
only for perching.

Swallows are preeminently in-
sectivorous, feeding on flying insects,
which they take while on the wing.

They are to be distinguished from
the Swifts by their radically different
structure, in spite of their similarity
of habits.

The family is composed of over one
hundred species, distributed in all parts
of the world. China has nine species,
three of which reach the Yangtse
Valley.

( 170 )
THE SAND MARTIN.

RIP ARIA RIP ART A, (l).

Description. — Length five and one
half inches. Bill black. Iris brown.
Tarsus dark brown. Legs and feet are
naked, with the exception of a few small
feathers near the insertion of the hind
toe.

Upper parts, cheeks, and a broad
bar on the breast, grayish brown.
Throat, fore parts of neck, belly, and
under tail coverts white. Wings and
tail dark brown, the latter margined
whitish, rather short, and forked.

Young birds have all the feathers of
the upper parts margined rufous, the
chin and throat fulvous and the breast
brown.

Distribution. — Europe, Africa, and
Asia. A summer visitant in the
Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — This martin breeds
in holes and crevices in precipitous
cliffs on the sea coast, or in other
suitable places, but it prefers to
excavate a hole in a perpendicular
bank of clay, not too stiff for it's weak
bill to mine. They perch against the
surface and pick out the hole a few
particles at a time, in this way making
deep tunnels into the earth. A suit-
able location will often attract a largo
number of Sand Martins, and the
surface will be riddled with their holes.
The hole slants upward, and is from
three to four feet in depth, and two or
three inches in diameter. At its
extremity the gallery is widened to
form a chamber about six inches in
diameter, where a bed is made of dry
grass, with a few feathers for a lining.

( 171 )

Male and female birds take turn in
boring, working only in the morning,
the rest of the daylight hours being
spent in feeding and play. They lay
four to six pure white eggs.

THE EASTEEN HOUSE
SWALLOW.

HIRUNDO GUTTUEALIS, (sCOP).

Description. — Length six and one
half inches. Bill black. Iris black.
Tarsus brown.

Upper parts blue black. Throat and
upper breast rufous, followed by a
black band, broken in the middle.
Eemainder of the under parts whitish.
Tail deeply forked, with a row of white
spots at the base. These spots are
often visible as the bird circles in
flying.

Distribution. — Mongolia, China,
Japan, Malaysia, and India, A common
summer visitant in the Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — These birds seem to
prefer the inside of Chinese houses for
a nesting place, and their presence is
considered a good omen. All sorts of
little devices are put up to attract them,
and their nests are carefully protected.
The nest is made of mud, mixed with
bits of straw, paper, grass, and similar
materials. It is fixed to a rafter, or
plastered to any convenient upright
surface. The cup is rather shallow,
and is frequently lined with feathers.
The eggs are four to six in number,
and vary much in shape, and markings.
The ground color is white, spotted with
shades of brown, and purplish gray.

( 172 )

THE GOLDEN BACKED

SWALLOW,
(MOSQUE SWALLOW.)

HIRUNDO NIPALENSIS, HODGSON.

Description. — Length seven inches.
Bill black. Iris dark brown. Tarsus
dusky, claws black.

Above blue black. Rump and and
lower back rich reddish golden yellow.
Sides of head and nape, rufous,
and finely striated with with
black. Breast and abdomen yellowish
gray, finely streaked with black.
Tail deeply forked.

Distribution. — Mongolia, China, and
India. A summer visitant in the
Yangtse Valley, arriving a few days
later than the Eastern House Swallow.

Nest and Eggs. — These Swallows are
more common in the country than in
town, and seem to prefer houses near
the hills as their nesting places. The
nest is oblong, something like a crook-
ed bottle with a large mouth, through
which it is entered. It is constructed
of mud mixed with some sticks and
straw. It is attached to the rafters,
or cemented to any convenient surface.
The eggs are similar to those of the
Eastern House Swallow.

Family, Gantpephagidae, Cuckoo Shrikes,
or Minivets.

Minivets have a short, stout,
moderately notched and hooked bill.
The nostrils are nearly concealed by
nasal feathers, though the rictal bristles
are but slightly developed. The wings
are long and pointed. The tail is
moderately long and of varying shape.
The plumage is soft and shrike-like, but
the feathers of the lower back and rump
have more or less stiffened shafts.

( 173 )

This Family is composed of about a
dozen genera, including over 175
species, all natives of the old World.
The Yangtse Valley has fo-^r species.

THE GRAY MINIVET.

PERICROCOTUS CINEREUS,
LA TRESU.

Descrivtion. — Length seven an done
half inches. Bill and tarsus black.
Iris brov?n.

ji^Xale. — Ashy brown above. Below
dull white, tinged green on breast and
flanks. Crown and nape black. Fore-
head white, a black band through the
eye to the nape. Wings dark gray
with an indistinct white bar across
the center. Four central tail quills
black, outer ones black at the base and
white toward the tip.

Female. — Similar to male but has a
narrower white forehead, gray crown
and nape, and more white on the
wings.

Young birds similar to the female,
but with a yellow tinge to the plumage.
Distribution. — All China and the
Philippines. Passes the Yangtse
Valley on migration, but is not very
common.

SWINHOE'S MINIVET.

PERICROCOTUS CANTONENSIS,
SV7INH0E.

Description.— heugth seven and
one half inches. Bill and tarsus
black. Iris brown.

Male. — Forehead gray. Lores black.
Top of head, back, and wing coverts,
dark ashy brown, rump and upper tail
coverts paler. Wings dark brown,
white tips to the greater coverts, and

( 174 )

an indistincfc white patch at the base
of the secondaries. Four central tail
feathers dark brown, others more or
less white. Lower plumage pale
yellowish brown.

Female. — Similar to male but paler
above, wing spot well defined, and
tinged yellow.

Distribution. — India and China as
far north as Shantung. A rare summer
visitant in the Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — The nest is built of
twigs, and is placed on the broad branch
of a tree. Its sides are perpendicular,
and there is usually no bottom, the limb
on which it is placed, serving the
purpose. The eggs are bluish gray,
thickly spotted with brownish red,
yellow or purple over gray under
markings.

The Lesser Scarlet Minivet (Peri-
crocotus brevirostris) which is bluish
black above and scarlet below, with a
scarlet wing band, and rump, and a
white abdomen, may possibly occur as
a migrant, as it ranges from northern
India to Manchuria.

BLACK- WINGED MINIVET.

CAMPEPHAGA MELANOPTERA,RUPPEL.

Description. — Length nine inches.
Bill and tarsus black, inside of the
mouth yellow. Iris brown.

General color of plumage pale gray.
Wings and tail irridescent black, wing
quills edged lighter. Outer tail quills
broadly tipped white, others narrowly
so. Vent and tail coverts whitish.

The young are mottled with yello-
wish white, and have some dark bars
across the breast.

( 175 )

Distribution. — India and southern
China. A rather rare summer visitant
in the Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — The nest is a
shallow cup of twigs, coated with
lichens and cobwebs, and placed on the
limb of a tree. The eggs are greenish
white, marked with browns and purple.

Family, Oicruridae, the Drongos or King
Crows.

Drongos may be distinguished by
their black plumage, and their forked
tails, of ten feathers, the outer ones
being, in some cases, prolonged and
rolled or expanded at the end. They
have strong Crow-like bills, the edges
of both mandibles being smooth,
except for a single noteh in the upper
one. All have strong bristles at the
base of the bill. The sexes are alike,
and the plumage of the nestling like
the adult, except paler.

Drongos are entirely insectivorous,
feeding on the wing by darting from a
perch after passing insects, like a
Flycatcher. They are remarkable for
their courage, fighting viciously, and
readily attacking Crows, Hawks, and
other large birds.

The sixty two species of the
Family are confined to the Old World.
China has six species, three of which
reach the Yangtse Valley.

THE BLACK DBONGO.

BUCHANGA ATRA, HEEMANN.

Description. — Length twelve inches.
Bill black. Tarsus black. Iris red.

The entire plumage is irridescent
black. The tail is long and deeply
forked, the outer feathers curling up
slightly at the end.

( 176 )

Young birds are duller, with white
tips to the feathers of the lower parts,
and under wing coverts.

Distribution. — All China. A summer
visitant in the Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — The nest is built in
trees, often near dwellings. It is
composed of grass and fine twigs,
covered with cobwebs. There are four
or five eggs, either pure white, or pale
pink, spotted with brownish red.

Notes. — This bird frequents trees
near marshes or other water. The
gizzard of one opened in July contain-
ed a large number of small black
beetles.

THE HAIRY-CRESTED DRONGO.

CHIBIA HOTTENTOTTA, (l).

Description. — Length twelve and one
half inches. Bill and tarsus black.
Iris brown.

Whole plumage brilliant irridescent
black. Feathers of the neck and breast
pointed. A few long hairs form the
crest. Tail long and forked, the lateral
retrices distinctly curled.

Distribution. — India and China. A
summer visitant in the Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — The nests are built
in bamboos or high trees. They are
usually fastened to the smaller twigs
near the top, and are very difficult to
get at. They are frail in appear-
ance, but are really quite strongly built
of fine twigs, roots, moss, and leaves.
There are four or five eggs of a deep
creamy pink ground color, variously
splotched and speckled with red, purple,
and gray.

Notes. — These birds seem to keep
largely to the hills in the Yangtse

( 177 )

Valley. They are quite common among
the large bamboos on Mokanshan in
Chekiang Province.

The White-Cheeked Drowgo (Buchanga
leucogenys), which is a light gray
color, with an oval white spot on each
side of the head, surrounding the eyes,
occurs as a rare summer visitant in the
hills.

Family, Ampelldae, the Waxwin^s.

Waxwings have a slightly hooked
bill, notched at the tip; the gape is
broad ; the nostrils linear, and nearly
concealed by soft feathers.

They are small arboreal birds, with
pointed wings in which the outer
primary is so small as to be almost
imperceptible. They have a crest of
soft blended feathers.

In two species the tips of the
secondaries are marked with horny,
bright red, wax-like drops, from which
they take their popular name. These
curious growths seem to serve no
purpose except for ornamentation.

This is a small family of a single
genus, and only three species, two of
which are found in China, and in the
Yangtse Valley

THE BOHEMIAN WAXWING.

AMPELIS GAERULUS, L.

Description. — Length eight inches.

The general color of the plumage is
a dark silky gray, lighter on the lower
breast, and abdomen, and suffused with
reddish on the crown. Throat black.
Under tail coverts chestnut. Tail
tipped with lemon yellow. Several of
the secondaries are marked with white
or yellow at the end, and in adult birds

{ 178 )

tipped with a small wax-like coral red
prolongation of the shaft, from which
the bird is called " Waxwing."

In young birds, a streak of waxy red
color appears on the feather shafts
before the waxy tip develops.

Distribution. — Europe and northern
Asia as far south as the Yangtse Valley
in winter,

THE JAPANESE WAXWING.

AMPELIS JAPONICUS, (sIEBOLD).

Description. — Length seven inches.
General color of plumage dark silky
gray, similar to the Bohemian Waxwing
(Ampelis garrulus), but the lesser wing
coverts are bordered with dull crimson,
and the tail has a subterminal band of
bright red, and the under tail coverts
are red. The primaries have at the
outer end a short narrow spot of white.
The secondaries are tipped with red,
but lack the wax-like tips.

Distribution. — Siberia, north China,
Japan, and Formosa. A rare winter
visitant to the Yangtse Valley.

Family, Laniidae, the Shrikes.

This is a Family about which there
is much lack of agreement, as taken
here it.includes only the true Shrikes,
whose characteristics may be given as
follows : they are robust, stocky birds
of small size, with lax plumage, and a
very strong bill, both hooked and
notched. The round nostrils are
located near the base of the bill,
and are partly covered with feathers
and bristles. The wings are short,
rounded and powerful. There are ten
primaries, of which the outer is usually
more than half the length of the next
one. The tail is either graduated or

( 179 )

square, bufc never forked. The tarsi
are shorfc, and scutellated, and the feet
are moderately strong.

Shrikes feed on insects, small
reptiles, animals, and birds, which
they kill by striking or siezing with
thoir strong bills. They do not use
their feet to hold their prey as do the
Eaptorial birds.

They all have the peculiar habit of
impaling their prey on thorns or sharp
twigs, probably to hold it while they
tear it pieces. They often kill more
than they can eat, and leave their
victims impaled, where they dry in
the sun.

With two exceptions, this is an Old
World Family, numbering over
seventy species, thirteen of them
being found in China, and seven or
eight in the Yangtse Valley.

THE EASTEEN GEAY SHEIKB.

LANIUS SPHENOCEECUS, CAB.

Description. — Length twelve inches.
Bill and tarsus black.

Plumage clear gray above, shading
into white on the forehead and
upper tail coverts, and pure white
below. A black stripe through
the eye and over the ear coverts.
A white eyebrow. Greater and
lesser wing coverts black. Primaries
white at the base, and black on the
terminal half. Secondaries white at
the outer end. Central retrices black,
outer ones white.

This Shrike is very closely allied to
the Gray Shrike of Europe fLanius
excubitor), differing from it in having
more white on the wings, and a longer
tail.

( 180 )

Distribution. — Easfcern Asia, in-
cluding China and Japan. Breeds in
southern Siberia, and winters south to
the Yangtse Valley.

The Gray-backed Shrike (Lanius
fcephronotus) is recorded as of doubtful
occurance in the Yangtse Valley. It
differs in having the tail and upper tail
coverts reddish brown, with more or
less of a rufous wash to the whole
upper plumage in young birds.

THE EED-BACKED SHRIKE.

LANIUS SCHACH, LINN.

Description. — Length eleven inches.
Forehead, and the region about the
eyes and auriculars, black. Crown
gray. Back gray, more or less mixed
with rufous. Under parts light gray,
washed with rufous. Wings black.
Tail dark brown, graduated, and about
five inches long.

Distribution. — Central and South
China. A common resident in the
Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — This species nests
in the low, brush-covered hills. It
builds, in a bush or a clump of sword
grass, a large, deep, cup-shaped nest,
of twigs, roots, leaves, and dry grass,
lined with fine grass, and grass tops.
There are from four to six yellowish
green eggs, spotted various shades of
dark red and gray, the spots being
much heavier at the larger end.

THE PHILIPPINE RED-
TAILED SHRIKE.

LANIUS LUCIONENSIS, LINN.

Description. — Length seven and one
half inches.

{ 181 )

Crown and nape, gray in the
adult, brown in the young. Best
of the upper plumage grayish
brown, rufous on the rump and upper
tail coverts. A white eyebrow, and a
black band from the nostrils to the
auriculars. Throat and abdomen white,
rest of the under parts washed with
rufous. Wings brown, coverts more
or less bordered with rufous. Tail
rufous brown, tipped paler.

The young of the year have many
black lunules above, but these are
lacking in the adults.

Distribution. — The Philippines,
Japan, and China. A summer visitant
in the Yangtse Valley, though pro-
bably only a few pairs remain to
breed.

Nest and Eggs. — Similar to those
of the Bed-backed Shrike.

The Japanese Bed-tailed Shrike
(Lanius superciliosus) which has the
whole of the upper parts, including the
crown and nape, rich chestnut, also
occurs in the Yangtse Valley as a
migrant.

The Indian Brown Shrike (Lanius
cristatus), also recorded as a migrant,
is very similar, but a paler reddish
brown above.

Immature birds of the three foregoing
species are very difficult to distinguish,
and all three may be found to occur in
the Yangtse Valley in the fall. Though
the occurrence of the last named
species is regarded as doubtful.

THE BULL-HEADED SHBIKE.

LANIUS BUCEPHALUS, T. AND S.
Description. — Length eight and
one half inches. Bill deep horn color,

( 182 )

lighter on the edges and base of lower
mandible. Tarsus black.

Male. — Upper parts ruddy brown,
redder on the head and neck. Under
parts are marked with many delicate
lunules, or transverse bars. Ear
coverts black. Secondaries tipped and
bordered with rufous.

Female. — She is more uniform
in color and has a darker tint on the
upper parts. Ear coverts brown.
The under parts more heavily marked
with brownish black lunules.

Young birds similar to the adults in
each sex, except that the males lack
the deeper red of the head and neck,
showing a uniform ruddy brown
above.

Distribution. — Eastern Asia. A
winter visitant in the Yangtse Valley,
leaving usually in February to nest in
Manchuria.

Notes. — During a heavy snow in
February we saw one of these little
Shrikes attack a Tree Sparrow (Passer
montanus), which was feeding with a
number of others on the snow. After
a struggle of some minutes the Shrike
succeeded in killing the Sparrow,
apparently by gripping its neck. It
then carried it about fifty feet to a
shrub, by very short flights, sometimes
grasping it with its bill, and sometimes
in its claws. After considerable work,
it hung the Sparrow in the crotch of
a limb, and ate off its head and most
of the neck before leaving it. Although
the Sparrow was left hanging there for
several days, until the snow had melt-
ed, the Shrike did not return to it
again, so far as we could tell.

( 183 )
THE THICK-BILLED SHRIKE.

LANIUS TIGRINUS, DRAPIEZ.
[Lanius magairostris (Swin).]

Description. — Length seven and one
half inches. Bill very large and heavy,
black, pale plumbeous blue at base.
Iris brown. Tarsus pale plumbeous
blue.

Crown, nape, and upper back gray.
Forehead, and sides of head black.
Back, rump, and tail coverts, rufous,
with black lunules. Tail russet,
obsoletely barred and tipped white.

The ijoung are gray below, no black
on the face, and upper parts reddish
brown.

Distrihiition. — China generally, a
summer visitant in the Yangtse Valley.
Both young and adult birds have been
taken on Mokansan in July.

We find no account of the nest or
eggs.

Family, SIttldae, the Nuthatches.

Nuthatches are stocky little birds,
with slender, acute bills, about as long
as the head ; a short tarsus, scutellated
in front, and covered with two entire
longitudinal plates behind ; and a very
long hind toe, while the front ones are
of unequal length. The wings are long
and pointed, with ten primaries. The
tail is short, nearly even, of twelve
soft, broad, feathers.

Nuthatches climb with great ease
about the trunks of trees, or the face
of cliffs, assuming all sorts of positions,
but they never make use of their tails
for support as do the woodpeckers.
The Nuthatch has been described as a
bird with the " bill of a Woodpecker,
and the tail of a Titmouse."

( 184 )

Their food consists chiefly of insects,
though they occasionally take nuts,
which they wedge into cracks in order
to open them with their sharp bills.
This habit is responsible for their
common name.

This Family includes about sixty
species, widely distributed throughout
the world. China has three species.

The only species which reaches the
Yangtse Valley is the Chinese Nuthatch
[Sitta caesia sinensis (Verr.)] . It
differs from the Nuthatch (Sitta
caesia) of western Europe only in
being slightly smaller. It is bluish
gray above, and reddish below, with
some white on the throat, and a white
eyebrow. It is resident in the hills,
but rarely seen in the Yangtse Valley.

Famliy, Paridae, the Titmice.

The Titmice, or Tits, have a short,
stout, unnotched, conical bill. The
nostrils are covered with nasal fea-
thers. The wings are short, and
rounded, and the tail varying in length
and shape.

They have soft, lax, plumage ; the
sexes being alike, and the young paler,
but retaining the same color pattern.

This Family contains over two
hundred species, covering the whole
world, except South America, Austra-
lia, and Polynesia. China has twenty
seven species, and the Yangtse Valley
six.

THE LESSER GRAY TIT.

: PARUS MINOR, T. & S.
Description. — Length five inches.
Bill black. Tarsus grayish black. Iris
brown.

( 185 )

Top of head and sides of neck
intense black, with bluish irridescence.
Cheeks white. Middle of breast and
abdomen dull black, rest of the under
parts dull gray. A yellowish green
band separates the black nape from the
gray of the back. Eest of the back
rump and upper tail coverts bluish
gray. Tail black, washed with gray
above the outer feathers edged white.
Wings dull black, with a white bar, and
bluish gray edges to secondaries and
tertials. Immature birds have a
yellowish washing over the whole
plumage.

Distribution. — China and Japan.
Common resident in the Yangtse
Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — The uests are
hidden away carefully in hollow trees,
holes in walls, banks, or similar places.
The nest is simply a shallow bowl, or
a hollow pad, of dry grass roots, njoss,
feathers, hair, or such material,
adapted in size and shape to the space
it occupies. A clutch consists of from
five to seven white eggs, speckled with
two shades of red.

Somewhat similar, but much more
rare is the Yelloiu Tit [Pardaliparus
venustulus (Swinhoe)] , which has the
gray of the back and rump washed
with yellow, and a yellow abdomen.
It is a winter visitant in the upper
part of the Yangtse Valley, and has
been once recorded from Mokansan in
April.

THE MARSH TIT.

PAKUS PALUSTKIS, LINN.
Description.— IjQrxgth. four and a half
inches.

( 186 )

Head and nape black. Back
and wings brownish gray. A black
spot on the throat. Breast and abdo-
men giay. This bird varies consider-
ably over its wide range, and has been
divided into numerous subspecies, all
of which intergrade.

Distribution. — British Isles, across
Asia to Japan. A rare resident in
the Yangtse Valley, more common in
North China.

Nest andEggs. — The nest of this bird,
like that of some of the other Tits,
is usually placed in decayed stumps or
hollow trees where holes are available,
though this bird has been known to
dig a hole for its nest in rotten wood.
The excavation is lined with soft
materials, such as mosses and hair,
tightly pressed together.

There are generally five or six eggs
to a clutch and the ground color is
pure white or white with a yellowish
tinge, and this is blotched or spotted
over with a rusty red.

THE SILVEE-THKOATED TIT.

aegithalos glaucogularis
(gould.)

Description. — Length five inches.
Bill black, very short. Tarsus black.

Crown black, with a fawn colored
stripe down the center to the nape.
Back bluish gray, wings dusky black.
Tail black, with outer feathers edged
white, as long as the body, and
graduated. A silver gray spot on the
throat. Breast and abdomen very
light reddish gray.

Young birds are more brown above.
The gray throat patch is lacking, and
^he whole throat and breast are rufous
, rown.

( 187 )

Pis^nfcwfiow.— Northern, western,
and central China, and Mongolia. A
common resident in the Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs. —This Tit prefers the
coniferous trees, usually a cedar, for its
nesting site, though occasionally nests
are built in willows, or other trees.
The nest is an oval dome, with the
entrance near the top. It is built of
moss, lichens, with scraps of grass and
twigs inter- woven, the whole bound
together with cobwebs, and has a very
thick downy lining of soft feathers.

There are from six to eight pinkish
white eggs, minutely speckled and
streaked with shades of red.

Closely allied to this species is the
Bed-headed Tit (Aegithaliscus con-
cinnus), which has the top of the
head, sides of the breast, and abdomen
rufous. It occurs as a resident in the
hills, but is not common.

The only remaining Tit recorded
from the Yangtse Valley is the
Broum-headed Tit (Eemiza con-
sobrina), which has the forehead,
and a line through the eyes deep
brown, and the whole of the upper
parts more or less washed brown. _

It occurs as a rather rare winter
visitant.

Family, Paradoxornlthldae, the Crowtlts.

The crowtits have short, thick, bills,
with nostrils completely hidden by
bristles. They are small birds, with
the loose fluffy plumage of the Tits ;
rounded wings, with ten primaries ; and
a long graduated tail.

The sexes are alike in plumage, and
the young are identical in coloring with
the adults.

( 188 )

The relations of this Family have
never been satisfactorily defined. They
are not mentioned by Dr. Knowlton,
and the characteristics as given are
condensed from Lyddeker.

This is a small Family of twenty
two species, confined to southeastern
Asia. Twelve species are peculiar to
China, and four reach the Yangtse
Vallev.

HEUDE'S CEOWTIT.

PAEADOXOENIS HEUDEI, DAVID.

Description. — Length seven inches.
Bill yellow. Tarsus yellowish.

Crown gray. Conspicuous black
eyebrows. Throat white. Neck gray.
Cheeks and back rose gray, with a few
long brown spots. Rump yellowish
rufous. Breast dark red. Flanks
reddish. Abdomen white.

Distribution. — Central China. Resi-
dent in the reed beds along the Yangtse
River.

Nest and Eggs. — We do not find any
account of its nesting habits.

Austin's Crowtit (Paradoxornis
guttaticollis, David) has the upper parts
yellowish brown, reddish on the head,
and below yellowish white, with an
irregular band of black spots on the
breast. It is a west China species,
occurring as a very rare resident in the
Yangtse Valley.

WEBB'S CROWTIT.

SUTHOEA WEBBIANA, GEAY.

Description. — Length five and one
half inches. Bill dark brown, lighter
on the edges. Tarsus brownish black.

( 189 )

Head and neck bright rufous, upper
parts olive brown. Throat and breast
rufous washed with rose, with a darker
stripe on every feather. Flanks, abdo-
men, and under tail coverts olive.
Lesser wing coverts olive green.

Distribution. — Common all over
China. Resident in the Yangtse
Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — The nest is built
in reeds, nettles, or low shrubs. It is
a loose structure of coarse grass, and
leaves, bound together with cobwebs,
and lined with fine grasses. The eggs
are of various shades of blue, some
quite pale. There are usually two
broods in a season, and the whole
family seem to remain together during
the fall and winter in a small flock.

Notes. — These birds may be found
in small flocks in tall grasses or reeds
all over the country. They are
possessed of a temper all out of pro-
portion to their size. The Chinese
train them for fighting. The birds are
put in specially constructed cages,
with one side sufiSciently open to
allow them to fight between the bars,
but not to escape. Their thick, heavy
bills enable them to give a strong
effective blow, or to get a bone-
breaking grip on the leg of their
opponent.

This is considered the cage bird of
the Chinese " sport," and large sums
are often paid for a good fighter.

The Rufous Croiutit (Suthora
suffusa), a south China species, also
occurs in the Yangtse Valley. It is
described as smaller, with a bright
rufous abdomen. There seems to be
some doubt, however, as to the validity

( 190 )

of the species, and it may prove to be
only a subspecific form of Webb's
Orowtit.

Family, Oriolldae, the Orioles.

Orioles have strong bills, about as
long as the head, straight, or slightly
curved at the tip, where the upper
mandible is notched. The nostrils are
bare. The tarsus is short, and the
toes rather small, and free at the base,
with long curved claws. The long
pointed wings contain ten primaries, of
which the third and fourth are the
longest. The tail is moderately long
and slightly rounded. The sexes are
usually different in plumage, and the
nestling is streaked.

Orioles are rather shy, strictly
arboreal birds, subsisting chiefly on
insects, which they take among the
trees.

These Old World Orioles must be
clearly distinguished from the
American Orioles (Icteridae) which
they resemble only in their coloration.

There are about fifty species in the
Family, of which China has three, and
the Yangtse Valley one.

THE BLACK-NAPED ORIOLE.

ORIOLUS DIFFUSUS, SHARPE.

Description. — Length nine and one
half inches. Bill reddish yellow.
Tarsus lead blue. Iris light brown.

Male. — Brilliant golden yellow, with
a black stripe from the base of the bill
to the nape. Wings and tail black,
tipped yellow.

Female. — Has the back tinted green,
and young birds, in addition are streak-
ed with black on the under parts, and
lack the eye streak.

( 191 )

Distribution. — China and India. A
summer visitant in the Yangtse Valley,
more common on the hills, but often
seen in the larger trees on the plains.

Nest and Eggs. — The nest is built
at a considerable height from the
ground in tall trees or bamboos. It is
a deep cup of leaves, roots, and grass,
bound together with cobwebs or silk
fibre, and usually slung in the fork of
a branch. The form and construction
varies considerably. The eggs are pink,
spotted with dark red and gray.

Notes. — These birds are usually quite
shy, and do most of their feeding in
the early morning, keeping quiet during
the middle of the day. Their call is a
rather melodious whistled note.

Family, Corvidae, tbe Crows and the Happies.

This Family have a stout, compres-
sed, conical bill, which is never
distinctly notched, or angulated at the
base ; and usually rounded, operculate
nostrils, hidden by frontal tufts of
feathers. The legs and feet are very
strong, and most of the Family walk
well on the ground. The middle toe
with its basal segment is united for
about half its length to the lateral
one. The wings are variable in shape,
but all possess ten primaries, of which
the outer one is short — only about
half the length of the next. The tail
is also variable, being round or grad-
uated, but never emarginated or
forked.

These are mostly large birds, the
Kavens being the largest of the Pas-
serif ormes. They are active and ener-
getic, possessing a high degree of
intelligence.

( 192 )

This Family, are omuiverous feeders,
taking grain, fruits, insects, small
animals, nestlings, eggs, and in some
cases carrion for food.

There are over two hundred species
in the Family, widely distributed
over the world. Twenty seven species
have been recorded from China, of
which nine reach the Yangtse Valley.

Key to the Corvidae of the Yangtse
Valley.

a. Plumage solid black ;

a'. Very heavy bill feathered at base :
Corvus macr<yi"hynchiis levaillanti.

b'. Sharp conical bill, bare of feathers
at the base ; Corvus frugilegus
pastinator.

b. Plumage mixed black and white ;
. b'. Length over eighteen inches,

white collar and gorget ; Corvus
torquatus.

d'. Length under fifteen inches ;

a". White collar, breast, and abdo-
men ; Coleus dauricus.

b". Whole under parts dark mixed
gray ; Coleus neglectus.

c. Plumage black, white, and purple ;

Pica pica sericea.

d. Plumage mostly blue or gray ;
e*. Tail medium length ;

c". Head solid black ; Cyanopica
cyanus.

d". Head vinaceous gray, uniform
with back ; Garrulus sinensis.

v. Tail very long, head black, spotted
gray ; Urocissa sinensis.

THE COLLARED CROW.

CORVUS TORQUATUS, LESS.
Description. — Length nineteen and
one half inches. Bill, tarsus, and
iris, black.

( 193 )

Whole plumage black, except a
broad whifce collar around the neck,
and extending down on the breast.
Young birds have the neck gray.

Distrihution. — All China. A com-
mon resident in the Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — With the exception
of the Magpie, this is the earliest
breeder in the Yangtse Valley. Build-
ing begins in February, and the eggs
are laid in March or April. The nest
is placed high up in tall trees, either
in the hills, or on the plains. Occasion-
ally an old Magpie's nest is repaired
and used. The nest is built of coarse
sticks, with a lining of grass, twigs,
or pine needles.

There are three or four eggs, of
variable size, shape and color. They
are usually light green, blotched
and speckled with dark green, and
dull grayish red. The eggs of this
Crow may be distinguished from those
of the following one by the absence of
the bluish tinge in the ground color.

Notes. — This crow is solitary in its
habits, never gathering in flocks as
many of the Family do. The male and
female may be seen feeding together,
but very rarely more than these two.

THE BIG-BILLED CEOW

CORVUS MACRORHYNCHUS
LEVAILLANTI, LESS.

Description. — Length twenty one
inches. Bill very heavy, arched, and
black. Tarsus and iris black.

Plumage black with purplish re-
flections all over. It may be dis-
tinguished from the only other large
black crow in the Yangtse Valley by
the larger size, and by the heavier
arched bill, fully feathered at the base,

( 194 )

Distrihution. — All China. A common
resident in the Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — The nests are built
singly, high up in tall trees, usually
beginning in March, or April. It is
built of twigs, lined with softer
material, sometimes with hair.

There are five eggs in a clutch.
They are light bluish green in color,
marked with grayish red and green
markings.

Notes. — This Crow is also solitary
during the whole year, never gathering
in large flocks. It is the most fearless
of the Family, especially in the winter
when food becomes scarce. At that
time it frequently comes around
houses, and will seize any tasty morsel
left exposed around a back porch or
window.

THE EASTERN KOOK.

CORVUS FRUGILEGUS PASTINATOR,
GOULD.

Description. — Length nineteen in-
ches. Bill straight, pointed, black.
Tarsus and iris black.

Whole plumage irridescent black.
Adult birds have no rictal bristles,
but the base of the bill is bare
of feathers, and covered with a
white, scurfy skin. Its narrower
bill, and the bare area at its base
are easy marks of identification.

Distribution. — All China. A very
common and abundant resident in the
Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — Eooks nest in
colonies in large trees, or groups of
trees, frequently in the center of large
cities, as for instance, on the Bund in
Shanghai, Chinkiang, or in the old

( 195 )

yamens in Soochow. The nests are
large and bulky, similar to those of
other Crows.

There are four or five eggs in
a clutch, usually greenish blue,
marked with shades of brown, though
both ground color, and markings vary
considerably in shade and density.

Notes. — The Rook is decidedly
gregarious, remaining in flocks during
the whole year. In winter their num-
bers are largely augmented by visitors
from the north. Enormous flocks
gather to feed in the fields by day, and
noisily meet to share some common
roosting place at night.

The Chinese give them the name of
" Wind Crow," from their habit of
soaring in a high wind.

THE PIED JACKDAW.

COLEUS DAURICUS, (PALLAS).

Description. — Length fourteen in-
ches. Bill and tarsus black.

The breast and abdomen are white.
The rest of the plumage is irridescent
black.

In young birds the white is replaced
by gray. These birds gather with the
Rooks in large flocks in the winter,
but may be readily distinguished by
their smaller size.

Distribution. — Eastern Siberia, Mon-
golia, Northern and Central China.
An abundant winter visitant in the
Yangtse Valley, arriving in October
and leaving in April.

[THE BLACK JACKDAW.

COLEUS NEGLECTUS CsCHLEGEl).
Description, — Length thirteen inches.
Bill and tarsus black.

( 196 )

Tho plumage is black above, with a
dark gray patch on the back ef the
head. The whole underparts are a
dark gray, almost black, very much
darker gray than the young of the Pied
Jackdaw.

Distribution. — Eastern Siberia, north
and central China. A winter visitant
in the Yangtse Valley, but not so
common as the Pied Jackdaw.

Notes. — Both of these Jackdaws are
easily distinguished from the Crows
by their smaller size. The Pied
Jackdaw wears not only the white
collar of the Collared Crow, but also
a white vest, which comes down well
over his whole under parts, but he
does not keep his white as spotlessly
clean as does the Crow.

Jackdaws do not seem to nest in
southern Kiangsu, but come in the
autumn with the immigrant Rooks,
and throughout the winter mingle
freely with them, in the fields by day,
and on the roosts by night. The
Chinese cover both species of Jack-
daws by the same name, " Little
Crows", or " Wheat Crows ", the
latter from their fondness for scratch-
ing up the seedling wheat in the fields.

THE PIED MAGPIE.

PICA PICA SEEICEA, GOULD.

Description. — Length eighteen in-
ches. Bill and tarsus black.

Plumagemostly black. The scapulars,
abdomen, and rump are white, and
there are fine white streaks on the
feathers of the throat. The wings and
tail show a rich purplish irridescence.
The tail is graduated.

( 197 )

Disin^Miiow.— Cosmopolitan. A very
common resident in the Yangtse
Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — The nests are bulky
structures of sticks and mud, lined with
roots. They are to be seen almost
everywhere in large trees. They are
usually roughly oval, with the entrance
at one side near the top. This en-
trance is frequently surrounded with
thorns, as a protection against in-
quisitive mai'auders. Sometimes new
nests are built on top of the old ones,
until they appear to have three or
four stories.

There are six pale bluish green eggs,
very thickly spotted and speckled with
olive brown, and faintly blotched with
gray.

Notes. — Magpies are said to pair for
life. Their presence is considered as
a good omen by the Chinese. To have
one call upon your approach is sure to
bring happiness.

THE AZUEE-WINGED MAGPIE.

CYANOPICA CYANUS SWINHOEI,
HAETERT.

Description. — Length fifteen inches.
Bill, tarsus, and iris, black.

Most of the head black. Eest of the
body bluish gray, darker above than
below. Wings and tail azure blue.
The terminal half of the external
webs of the tail quills are bordered
white, and the central feathers are
tipped white.

Distribution. — Spain, Morocco,
eastern Siberia, and Japan. The curious
fact that this bird is found in Spain,
and is next met with in China, not be-
ing found in the intervening countries,

( 198 )

is usually accounted for on the
hypothesis that it was introduced from
China into Spain by early travellers
between the two countries.

Nest and Eggs. — This Magpie breeds
in colonies in high trees around the
villages in the plains. The nest is
placed high up on the fork of a sma.ll
branch. It is built upon a foundation
of coarse sticks, but the real nest is
constructed largely of moss, with often
a good deal of mud in the base. It is
lined with moss, hair, or fibers of
various kinds. We have observed
these birds stripping the fibers from a
cedar tree to be used in lining the nest.

The eggs are greenish gray or olive
brown, spotted and streaked with
shades of brown, and purplish gray.
There is considerable variation, both
in the ground color and the markings
of the eggs.

THE CHINESE BLUE MAGPIE.

UEOCISSA SINENSIS (lINN.)
Description. — Length twenty - five
inches. Bill and tarsus coral red.

Forehead, sides of the neck, and
breast, intense black. The feathers of
the crown are tipped lilac, and the
nape is violet gray. Back violet gray.
Abdomen gray, washed with violet.
Outer webs of wing feathers washed
with blue, the edges and ends are
white, and the inner webs black. The
tail is long, blue, and graduated. The
two central feathers, very much the
longest, curved down at the tips, are
a rich blue color, tipped with white.

Immature birds are gray on the
whole head, throat, and upper back,
darker on the sides of the head.

( 199 )

DistribiLtion. — South and central
China. Resident in the Yangtse
Valley, but much more common in the
hills.

Nest and Eggs.- The nest is a
rather frail structure of twigs, roots,
and tendrils.

The eggs are pale greenish yellow,
spotted and streaked with dull
i-eddish brown and gray, usually
more heavily marked on the larger
end.

Notes. — This bird is quite common
in the bamboo forests around Mokan-
san, where its peculiar, creaking note
can be heard almost any summer day.
They are usually found in small
flocks.

THE CHINESE JAY.

GAERULUS SINENSIS (sWINHOE),

Description. — Length thirteen in-
ches.

The whole body is a uniform
vinaceous gray, shading to white on
the upper and under tail coverts, ex-
cepting a broad black malar stripe.
There is a large spot on the wing
barred black, white, and blue. The
secondaries and tertials are black, and
the primaries are black at the base,
and fuscous toward the outer end, with
some white on the outer webs. The
tail is brownish black.

Distribution. — South and central
China. Resident in the hills of the
Yangtse Valley, but not at all common.
It has been taken on Mokansan.

Nest and Eggs. — The nest is a cup
built of moss with a lining of fine
roots. It is usually placed in a low
tree.

( 200 )

The eggs are various shades of
brownish green, closely speckled with
light brown, with dark brown hair
lines toward the ends.

Family, Sturnidae, The Starlings.

True Starlings are birds of medium
size, with strong tarsi, and feet ;
usually a rather long, pointed bill ; and
the rictus entirely without bristles of
any kind. The wings are moderately
long, with ten primaries, the first one
often being very small. The tail is
variable in shape. Botii sexes are alike
in plumage, or nearly so, and the
nestling is typically streaked below.

A few forms are migratory, but the
majority are resident, and largely
gregarioiis, assembling in large flocks.
They frequent trees to some extent,
but are largely terrestrial, walking easily
on the ground, and feeding mainly on
grain, seeds, berries, and insects.

This Family is distributed through-
out the Old World and Oceania. China
has eight species, one half of which
reach the Yangtse Valley.

THE CRESTED MYNAH.

AETHIOPSAR CRISTATELLUS (l.)
Description. — Length eleven inches.
Bill and tarsus yellow. Iris red.

The nasal feathers are turned for-
ward forming a crest springing from
the base of the bill. The whole
plumage is black with metallic re-
flections, except for a white bar across
the wings above and below, and the
white tips to the lower tail coverts,
and outer tail quills.

This bird looks almost solid black
when perched, but the white shows
plainly in flight.

( 201 )

Distribution. — South and central
China. A very common resident in
the Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — The Mynah breeds
in holes in trees and old wall, as well
as under the eaves of houses. Our
local birds show decided preference for
the ruins of old pagodas, as their nest-
ing sights, and large numbers seem to
nest in one ruin, frequently with the
Black-eared Kites, and even sometimes
with some of the Falcons.

The nest is a regular rubbish heap of
straw, leaves, feathers, snake sloughs,
dry grass, and similar materials. The
eggs are a pale greenish blue.

Notes. — This well known bird is very
sociable in its habits, and can usually
be seen feeding in small flocks
throughout the winter. The Chinese
value it as a cage bird. It can be
taught to speak certain words.

THE GEAY STAELING.

SPODIOPSAR CINEEACEUS (tEMM.)
Description. — Length nine inches.
Bill black at the tip, orange at the
base. Tarsus orange.

Head and neck with greenish
irridescence ; forehead and auriculars
heavily streaked with white. Back
brownish gray, breast darker gray,
abdomen lighter gray, shading
to white on the lower tail coverts,
and the under sides of the tail
feathers. Rump white. Tail and
wings above brownish gray, with the
outer edges of the principal feathers
white.

Females are much like the males,
though there seems to be less irridesc-
ence in the black parts. However,

( 202 )

there is much variation in the amount
of bhiokin the winter pUiniaj<o of hotli

HCXOS.

Voiui(i hirds have iliiUor, more
neutral colorH, niOBt of the vvhitea of
tlie adults hoiiif^ {;ray in the younj*.

Dislrihutioii. China and .hipan. A
winter viKitant in tlio Yanj^tse Valley.
It is usually found in flocks of from ton
to several hundred individuals. They
are active and restless, lly very rapidly,
the whole Hock whooling and turning
with almost military precision.

A much rarer bird is the Silky
Slarlivg (Spodiopsur Hoi'iceus), which
is residont in Houtli Cliiini,. The male
is a light silky gray above, with a white
head, and black wings and tail. The
female has the same silky sheen, but
the gray is brownish. It occurs as a
rare winter visitant in the Yangtao
Valley.

The Daurian Starlet (Agropsar
sturninua), occasionally occurs in the
winter. It is brownish above, whitish
below, with some rufous on the
scapulars, wing coverts, and upper tail
coverts.

Family, Zosteropldae. The Silver Eyes.

The Silver J'jyos are so called from
the ring of small white feathers which
Hiu'rounds the eyes. They are small
birds, with slender, slightly curved, or
straight, pointed bills, about one half
the lengtli of thoir hoads. Tlie nostrils
are covered by a largo membrane. The
tongue is protractile and bilid. The
tarsus is of niodorato length, covered
with a few scales in front. The middle
and outer toes are partly united. The
wings are rather short, with the lirst

( 203 )

primary oxlroinoly small. Tho tail is
short, and squaro. Tlio soxoB aro alika
in plumago. Thoir i)rinciplo food is
insects, tlioiif^li occasionally tlioy will
suck tho juicoH of fruits,

Tho Family comprises ahout one
hundred and Rovonty species, only two
of which roach the Yangtse Valley.

THE SILVER EYE.

ZOSTfiltOPS SIMPLEX, SWINHOK.

Description. —LonRth four and one
half inches.

Green above, nock and under tail
covei'ts yellow. A very distinct white
circle around tho eye. Breast and
flanks f^ray. Abdomen white. Wings
and tail washed with {,'reen.

Distribution.' China, generally. A
resident in tho Yangtse Valley.

Nest mid Efjgs. — The nests vary
considerably in both size and con-
struction. Some are little more than
a frail network of fine dry grass,
bound together, and fastened with
cobwebs. Others aro quite sub-
stantial cups of moss, grass, and
roots. They are either swung in tho
fork of a twig, or attached to tho side
of a small limb. There are three or four
pale greenish blue eggs in a clutch.

Notes. — This is considered tho most
genteel of all the Gliineso cage birds,
and one may usually note tlio neat
clothes and polite manners of tho
gentlemen who keep them. Their
song is simple hut rather soft and
sweet.

In the wild they fly in small flocks
about the groves, and are soraetimea
seen holding then)selves suspended
from the corolla of a largo flower.

( 204 )

Another species, the Brotvn-flanked
Silver Eye (Zosterops erythropleurus)
passes in migration. It has the sides
of the abdomen reddish brown.

Family, Certhlidae. The Creepers.

The Creepers are small mainly in-
sectivorous birds, and with the ex-
ception of the one species found in
the Yangtse Valley have very plain
plumage.

They resemble the Nuthatches in
their habits, but differ from them in
having the slender bill pointed and
curved downward. Their feet are like
the Nuthatches, and their claws
equally as long, to adapt them for the
same kind of climbing, but the tail
feathers in the true Creepers are stiff,
and are used as a prop in climbing
like the Woodpeckers. The sexes are
usually alike.

The Family includes about fifty
species, mainly of Old World dis-
tribution, of which China has three,
and the Yangtse Valley one.

The Bed-ivinged Creeper (Ticho-
droma muraria) is a very rare bird,
plainly attired in brownish gray and
black, but marked with bright red
wing coverts. It occurs as a resident
in parts of Kiangsi Province.

Family, Ploceidae. The Weaver Birds.

This family have small, stocky
bodies, and the conical, thick bills
characteristic of the Sparrows or
Finches. In fact about the only
visible difference between them is the
possession of ten instead of nine
primaries, and even then, in many
species, the first primary is so minute
as to be observed with difficulty.

( 205 )

Tho Family is confined to the Old
World, where it is most abundant in
Africa. The branch of the Family
found in China is characterized by a
powerful swollen bill, a tail in which
the central feathers are more or less
pointed ; and there is no spring change
in the plumage.

Only three species of this family are
met with in the Yangtse Valley.

THE SHARP-TAILED MUNIA.

UROLONCHA SQUAMICOLLIS, SHARPE.
[Munia acuticauda (Hodge.)]

Description. — Length four and one
half inches. Bill dark plumbeous blue,
shading lighter at the base and at the
tip of the lower mandible. Tarsus
brownish black.

Upper parts a nutmeg brown,
with a fine white shaft line to
each feather. Rump white mixed with
gray. Upper and under tail coverts
brownish. Throat black. Sides of the
neck and breast brownish white, each
feather with the white shaft line, and
all edged white. Abdomen grayish
white, marked with faint brown
streaks. The tail is black, and pointed.
The wings are brown.

Distribution. — South and central
China, and southeastern Asia. Common
resident in the Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — The nest is a large
globular structure of grass and leaves,
mixed with paper, rags, or any con-
venient material. The entrance is at
one side. It is usually placed in a
shrub, or low tree, or vine. Sometimes
a number of birds will join in the
construction of a communal nest. The
eggs are light pink color.

( 206 )

Notes. — These little birds are usually
seen in groups of from five to a dozen,
which feed and roost together, some-
times occupying an old nest as their
roosting place. The Chinese call them
"The Ten Sisters."

Another species of Chinese Munia
(Munia punctulata topela) sometimes
occurs as a summer resident in the
upper part of the Yangtse Valley.
It is very similar to The Sharp-tailed
Munia, but is lighter in color with
a tinge of greenish yellow on the
rump and tail.

THE JAVA SPARROW.

PADDA ORYZIVORA (lINN).

Description. — Length five and one
half inches. Bill bright red.

Head and neck black, with the
exception of the cheeks and ear
coverts which are conspicuously white.
Back and breast gray. Flanks washed
with rose. Abdomen white. Wings
brown. Rump, upper tail coverts, and
tail black.

Distribution. — East Indies and south
China. Passes down the coast section
of the Yangtse Valley on migration, in
small numbers. Frequently seen in
Shanghai and Soochow markets for
sale as a cage bird.

Family, Frlo^illidae, Sparrows, Buntings, etc.

This very large Family is nearly
world-wide in distribution, being most
numerous in the Northern Hemisphere.
The limits of the Family are not yet
clearly defined, but the main charac-
teristics are as follows : —

A strong, hard, cone-shaped bill,
adapted for shelling and eating seeds ;

( 207 )

wings containing nine primaries only ;
a tail of twelve feathers, quite variable
in shape. The nostrils are pierced close
to the line of the forehead, very near the
upper mandible, and are concealed by
feathei"s, or a membrane, whilethe rictal
bristles are distinct. The sexes are
usually dissimilar in plumage, and that
of the nestling is quite variable. They
are for the most part gregarious and
arboreal, though many of them feed
freely on the ground.

One large, Old World genus of this
Family, the Buntings (Emberiza), is
sometimes given Family, or sub-family
rank. It is distinguished principally
by the fact that the two mandibles are
not in contact throughout their length,
but form an angle about midway.
There is also a hard, bony knob on
the palate.

This family numbers over 560
species, of which China has about 60,
and the Yangtse Valley 25.

THE BLACK-HEADED
HAWFINCH.

EOPHONA MELANURA (gm).

Description. — Length six and one
half inches. Bill very large, heavy,
conical in shape ; yellow, with both
mandibles edged and tipped green.
Tarsus white.

Male. — Entire head glossy black,
Neck, breast, and rump ashy gray.
Back gray brown. Abdomen, upper
and under tail coverts white. Flanks
gray with some rufous. Wings and
tail metallic black, the wing feathers
tipped with white forming bars. The
tailis forked.

( 208 )

Female. — Resembles the male, ex-
cept that her head is gray brown,
uniform with the back, and the black
of the wings and tail is duller.

Distribution. — China generally. Re-
sident in the Yangtse Valley, but much
more common in winter.

Nest and Eggs. — The nest is usually
placed on the horizontal limb of a
large tree. It is a well built cup of
leaves and grass, cemented together
with mud, with an outer covering of
twigs and roots, and an inner lining of
fine roots and leaves. There are from
four to six light olive green eggs,
marked with dark brown and gray.

Notes. — Many small flocks of these
birds come south in October and
remain until April. They feed on the
ground, cracking seeds with their
heavy bills. When alarmed the whole
flock springs away together on whirring
wings.

The Masked Hatvfinch (Eophona per-
sonata magnirostris) is larger than the
Black-headed Hawfinch, and has only
the top of the head, the forehead,
and chin black, otherwise it is very
similarly marked. It occurs as a
migrant in the Yangtse Valley. This
bird is often kept by the Chinese as a
pet, and is readily taught simple tricks.

Another quite similar bird, also a
migrant in the Yangtse Valley, is the
Japanese form of the Commo7i Hatv-
finch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes
japonicus). It has a larger, heavier
bill than the other two Hawfinches, the
face is black as in the Masked
Hawfinch, but the tail is brown, and
not black, as in both the other two.

( 209 )
THE OEIENTAL BULLFINCH.

PYERHULA GRISEIVENTRIS, LAFR,

Description. — Length six inches.
Bill small, black, and very convex.

Male. — Crown, nape, and chin black.
Cheeks and ear coverts pink, Upper
parts blue gray. Rump white. Tail
and wings black. The greater wing
coverts are broadly tipped with gray.
Under parts gray washed with pink.
The amount of this pink washing varies
quite considerably.

Female. — Shehas theupper half of the
back gray, the lower half brown. There
is very little pink on the face, and none
on the lower surface of the body, which
is a dark lavender gray.

Distribution. — Eastern Siberia, north
China, and Japan. A winter visitant
in the Yangtse Valley.

The male of the Crimson Finch
(Carpodacus erythrinus), another rare
migrant in the Yangtse Valley, is
readily recognised by its dull crimson
crown, nape, throat, and breast, and
the crimson washing of the brown
upper, and the yellowish brown lower
parts. The female is streaked brown
above and below, with very little or
none of the crimson of the male.

THE TREE SPARROW.

PASSER MONTANUS (lINN.)
Description. — Length five and one
half inches. Bill black. Tarsus light
brown. Iris brown.

Crown of the head and nape uni-
form chocolate brown, cheeks and
ear coverts white, the latter with a
large black patch. Throat and fore-
neck black. Back reddish tawny, with

( 210 )

broad black streaks. Two white wing
bars. Lower parts ashy white. Sexes
are alike.

Distribution. — China generally.
Common resident in the Yangtse Valley,
where it takes the place of the "English
Sparrow" (Passer domesticus) of the
United States or the House Sparrow of
England and Europe. In Europe, the
Tree Sparrow is a mountain bird, but in
the Orient it lives also in the plains,
seeming to show a special preference
for houses built in western style.

Nest and Eggs. — The nest is simply
a mass of grass and rubbish suited in
shape and size to the cavity it
occupies. They are too common about
our houses to need description. The
number, color, and markings of the
eggs vary considerably, even in the
same clutch.. Generally they are
white, or greenish white, with spots
and blotches of browns, purples, and
greens, of various shades. Several
broods are raised in a season.

THE BUDDY SPARROW.

PASSER RUTILANS (tEMM.)
Description. — Length five inches.
Bill black in summer, brown in winter.
Tarsus reddish gray. Iris chestnut
brown.

Crown of head uniform chestnut.
Upper parts deep chestnut with a few
black spots. Cheeks, crown, and sides
of neck white. Throat black. Under
parts pale ashy brown, whiter on the
abdomen. Wing coverts are chestnut,
black and white. Tail blackish brown,
edged with ashy brown.

Distribution. — South and central
China, and Japan. Common resident on
the higher hills of the Yangtse Valley.

( 211 )

Nest and Eggs. — The nests are
usually built in hollow trees, or some-
times in houses. The nests are similar
to those of the House Sparrow, as are
also the eggs.

Notes. — These Sparrows frequent the
wooded localities, where they sing their
sweet, simple song from the tops of
the highest trees.

THE BBAMBLING.

FEINGILLA MONTIFRINGILLA, LINN.

Description. — Length six and one
quarter inches. Bill yellow with a
blackish tip. Tarsus reddish brown.
Iris hazel.

Head, cheeks, nape, and upper part
of the back black, the feathers tipped
with yellowish brown. Rump and
lower parts white. Flanks reddish
with a few dark spots. Wings black,
the primaries edged pale yellow, and
the inner ones yellowish at the base.
Tail feathers black, with the outer pair
broadly white for more than half the web.

The Female is like the male, except
that her colors are slightly duller.

Distribution. — Europe, northern
Asia, China, and Japan. A winter
visitant in the Yangtse Valley.

Notes. — This bird usually feeds in
wooded areas, but is not unfrequently
met with feeding in stubble fields with
other birds. It is frequently found
with the Buntings in the mulberry
groves where weeds have been al-
lowed to go to seed.

THE CHINESE GREEN FINCH.

CHLORIS SINICA (lINN.)
Description. — Length five and one
half inches.

( 212 )

Male. — Crown of the head ashy gray
tinged with olive. Back olive brown
washed with green. Throat and rump
yellowish green. Breast, sides, and
flanks, chocolate brown washed ashy.
Abdomen brighter yellow, whitish to-
ward the vent. Under tail coverts
yellow. Wings and tail yellowish at
the base and black toward the ends.

Female. — Duller in color. Plumage
dark brown, under parts tinged with
yellow.

Distribution. — Eastern Siberia,
China, and Japan. A resident in the
Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — The nests are well
made of grass, feathers, and any
similar material. They are usually
placed in the thick foliage of small
pine trees. The eggs are of two types;
one a pale green, speckled with black
and red; the other white, speckled
with pale reddish or yellowish brown.

Notes. — This bird has a very sweet
simple song, and is sometimes kept as
a cage bird by the Chinese.

THE SISKIN.

SPINUS SPINUS (linn.)
Description. — Length four and one
half inches.

Bill light gray above, dull white
below, dusky at the tip; it is long
and pointed, slightly curved downward.
Tarsus pale brown. Iris dusky brown.
Male. — Crown, and center of throat
black. Broad yellow streak behind the
eyes. Upper parts yellowish green,
rump brighter yellow. Under parts
greenish yellow, the abdomen whitish,
streaked with brown, as are also the
flanks. Greater wing coverts black,
broadly tipped with yellow.

( 213 )

Female. — Lacks the black crown.
Yellowish above, streaked with dark
brown. Rump yellow. Under parts
yellowish white streaked with black.
Young birds resemble the female.

Distribution. — Europe and Asia,
Found all over China, wintering some-
times even in the north. A winter
visitant in the Yangtse Valley.

A^o^^5.- -This bird is also kept as a
cage bird by the Chinese. It is
usually caught with bird-lime.

THE LAPLAND BUNTING.

CALCAKIU9 LAPPONICUS (lINN.)

Description. — Length six inches. Bill
dull yellow, dusky at the tip. Tarsus
dusky. Iris dark brown.

Male. — Li summer, the plumage is
prevailingly black, streaked rufous or
white, with the exception of the white
abdomen and a I'ufous patch on the
back of the neck.

In If inter, the upper parts are blacker,
the back of the neck more rufous, and
the breast more heavily marked with
black.

In the /c77iac'c, rufous brown largely
takes the place of the black in the male,
otherwise she is very similar.

Distribution — Circumpolar. They
occur in flocks on the plains of north
China, and pass the Yangtse Valley in
migration.

THE GRAY-HEADED BUNTING.

EMBERIZA SPODOCEPHALA, PALL.

Description. — Length four and three
quarter inches. Bill brown, whitish
on the lower mandible, and black at
tip. Tarsus flesh color. Iris brown.

( 214 )

Male. — Head, neck, and upper
breast olive gray. Under parts pale
yellow, streaked brown on the flanks.
Back, and wing coverts reddish brown,
streaked with black. The uniform
gray color of the heads of the males
offers an easy mark of identification.

Female has the gray of the head
streaked with dark brown. The throat
is pale yellow. The breast gray, more
or less streaked with brown. The
abdomen pale yellow or whitish.

Distribution. — Siberia and China
generally. A winter visitant in the
Yangtse Valley.

Notes. — Dr. Bergen says " One sees
these Buntings flitting about in the
thick undergowth in Fokien. They
are common and at the same time
very wary, flashing in and out of
cover, so that generally only an in-
stant's view is secured." In the
Yangtse Valley, however, they vei*y
commonly spend the winter in our
yards and gardens, where they lose
much of their shyness, and will come
right to the doorstep for food.

The Green-headed Bunting (Emberiza
spodocephala melanops) has been
differentiated as a separate species, but
is regarded by most authorities as
only a color variation of the Gray-
headed Bunting, and if separated at
all should only be given sub-specific
rank. The gray of the head was sup-
posed to be of a more decidedly green
shade.

THE PAINTED BUNTING.

EMBEKIZA FUCATA, PALLAS.
Description. — Length five and three
quarter inches. Bill brown, lighter at

( 215 )

base of lower mandible. Tarsus flesh
colored. Iris brown.

Crown gray streaked with black.
Back reddish gray, with long black
spots. Scapulars and rump uniform
rufous. Throat white bordered with
two blackish stripes. A white spot
on each side of the neck, some-
times united on the breast. This is
followed by a more or less broken
band of rufous. Lower breast and
abdomen creamy white. Wings and tail
feathers black, edged rufous buff, except
the outer tail feathers which are mostly
white.

Distrihution. — Siberia, China, Japan,
and India. Kesident in the Yangtse
Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — The nest is placed
in a clump of grass on the slopes of the
hills. It is a fragile cup of grass and
roots, lined with finer material and
some hair. There are four or five
grayish white eggs, spotted and streak-
ed with brown and gray.

THE EUSTIC BUNTING.

EMBEEIZA EUSTICA, PALLAS.

Description. — Length five and one
half inches. Bill brown on the upper
mandible, greenish yellow below.
Tarsus yellowish brown. Iris brown.

Crown black streaked with light
brown. Cheeks and ear coverts nearly
black. Large yellowish white eye-
brow. Under parts white, with the
exception of a broad pectoral band of
chestnut. Flanks and sides of the
body have some chestnut markings.
Upper parts chestnut, the feathers of
the back broadly edged lighter. Eump
nearly uniform chestnut. Lesser

( 216 )

wing coverts chestnut, median and
greater coverts black, with the outside
webs chestnut and tipped whitish.

Female. — Similar in color, but duller.

Distribution. — Northern Europe,
and Asia to north China. A winter
visitant in the Yangtse Valley.

Notes. — These birds usually frequent
tho neighborhood of watery places,
living in the trees of the vicinity.

THE LITTLE BUNTING.

EMBEEIZA PUSILLA, PALL.

Description. — Length about five
inches. Bill brown, lower mandible
whitish. Tarsus reddish gray. Iris
brown.

Crown has a wide median red-brown
stripe, bordered on either side by a
stripe of black. This is followed by
a pale eyebrow. x\uriculars rufous,
throat paler rufous. A black
moustache. Breast and abdomen
white with many long brown spots.
Upper parts olive brown, the feathers
with black centers. The plumage
varies in shades in different individ-
uals.

The female is very similar, but not
so richly colored, and has less distinct
brown spots below.

Distrihution. — Asia, occasionally
met with in Europe. Winter visitant
in the Yangtse Valley, but not very
common anywhere in China.

4?

TIIIS^M'S BUNTING.

EMBERIZA TRIS:^MI, SWINHOE.
Description. — Length five and one
half inches. Bill brown, lighter at
the base of the lower mandible.
Tarsus reddish gray. Iris brown.

( 217 )

Head black, with a white median
stripe, a white eyebrow, and a white
streak on the cheeks. Back olive
brown and black. Eump rufous.
Throat black. Breast grayish white,
tinged rufous. Abdomen whitish,
with light brown streaks. Flanks
yellowish.

Females quite similar, but the
colors are less distinct.

DistrihiUion, — China. A migrant in
the the Yangtse Valley, rarely occur-
ring in large numbers in any one
place.

THE CHESTNUT BUNTING.

EMBEEIZA CIOIDES, TBMM.

Description. — Length five and one
half inches. Bill bluish black, paler
on lower mandible. Tarsus light
yellow. Iris hazel.

Crown and nape chestnut. A white
eyebrow, and a black moustache.
Auriculars dark rufous. Chin and
throat grayish white, with a tiny
black spot on the chin. Sides of
neck ashy gray. A dark rufous band
on the breast. Abdomen and under
tail coverts whitish. Back rufous
brown mixed gray. Rump and
scapulars rufous.

Female similar, but duller.

DistrihUion. — China, Mongolia, and
eastern Siberia. Resident in the
Yangtse Valley.

Nest and Eggs. — The nest is usually
placed in a small pine. It is built of
grasses, roots, hair and similar
materials. There are from three to five
grayish white eggs, variously marked
with brown and violet gray. There
are two broods in a season.

( 218 )

The Little Chestmit Bunting,
(Emberiza castanieceps), has been
described as a separate species. It is
slightly smaller, lacks the tiny black
spot on the throat, and has less white
in the tail, but probably should be
regarded only as a variety, or sub-
species of the Chestnut Bunting.

THE YELLOW-THROATED
BUNTING.

EMBERIZA ELEGANS, TEMM.

Description. — Length five and one
half inches. Bill black in summer,
and brown in winter. Tarsus flesh
color. Iris brown.

Male. — Throat bright yellow. A
large black spot on the upper breast.
A conspicuous yellow eyebrow. Cheeks
and ear coverts black. Crown black,
with sandy edging to the feathers.
There are some signs of yellow on the
nape. The upper parts are rufous
brown, streaked with black on the
upper back and mantle. Under parts
white, streaked with chestnut on the
sides.

Female has the sides of the head
mixed gray and rufous, the throat pale
yellow, and the upper breast has a
few black spots.

Distribution. — Siberia, China, and
Japan. A winter visitant in the
Yangtse Valley.

Notes. — This Bunting is " found on
the borders of the forests'iand is said
to be the best songster among the
Buntings. Its song is peculiarly rich
and melodious."

( 219 )

THE YELLOW-BEOWED
BUNTING.

EMBERIZA CHRYSOPHRYS, PALL.

Description. — Length six inches.

Grown black, feathers edged light
brown, with a conspicuous white
median stripe. A bright yellow
eyebrow. Ear coverts brown or black,
with a white spot just behind. Throat
white, or yellowish white, with more
or less black streaks. Back reddisli
brown, most of the feathers with black
centers.

Female similar, but paler.

The yellow eyebrow with the white
crown streak, and the reddish brown
rump serve to identify this Bunting.

Distribution. — Siberia and China.
A migrant in the Yangtse Valley.

THE YELLOW-BREASTED
BUNTING.

EMBERIZA AUREOLA, PALL.

Description. — Length six inches.
Bill, upper mandible dark brown, lower
lighter. Tarsus pinkish brown. Iris
brown.

Front of the head black. Vertex,
neck, scapulars, and rump chestnut
washed gray. Back striped with gray
and black. Throat black. Under
parts bright yellow, with a chestnut
pectoral band, and a few long brown
spots on the flanks. Wings brown,
with lighter margins to feathers, and
a pronounced white wing bar.

Females very similar, but the colors
are duller, and the pectoral band is
replaced by a few indistinct blackish
spots.

( 220 )

DistrilMtion. — Europe and Asia'
Passes the Yangtse Valley abundantly
in migration, both spring and fall.

Notes. — These birds are fond of
perching on the top of reeds or bushes,
and singing continuously their short,
but rather sweet, song. In the early
fall when they first arrive, they are
seen in all stages of moult, some
without tail feathers, look when on
the wing like small quails. They are
netted by the Chinese in large numbers
and kept as cage birds.

THE EUDDY BUNTING.

EMBERIZA EUTILA PALL.

Description. — Length five inches.
Bill brown. Tarsus gray, Iris reddish
brown.

Upper parts, throat and breast
cinnamon rufous. Best of the under
parts yellow, the flanks marked with
long brown spots. Eump rufous.
Mantle streaked.

Females similar, but less bright, and
the colors mixed with brown.

Distribution. — Eastern Siberia and
China. Passes the Y'^angtse Valley on
migration.

THE JAPANESE BUNTING.

EMBERIZA YESSOENSIS, SEEBOHM.

Description. — Length five and one
half inches. Bill dark horn. Tarsus
reddish brown. Iris brown.

Male. — Crown, sides of face, and
throat black. Upper parts reddish
brown, the nape, upper back, and rump
being almost uniform in color. Mantle
black, feathers edged pale rufous.
Under parts yellowish white.

In ivinter plumage there is a broad

( 221 )

yellowish eyebrow, and the head is
rufous brown, yellowish on fche ear
coverts and throat.

Males in November show inter-
mediate plumage.

The Female is similar to the male in
winter plumage, and has some black
spots on the foreneck.

Distribution. — Japan and China.
Winter visitant in the Yangtse Valley.

THE EEED BUNTING.

EMBERIZA PALLASI (CABINIS).
Description. — Length five and three
tenths inches. Bill dark brown, edges
of lower mandible lighter. Tarsus
pinkish brown. Iris brown.

Male. — In summer he has a black
head and a large black patch on the
throat and upper breast. The wings
are black with more or less distinctly
white edges. The nape, rump, and
under parts are white.

In lointer the black is not so
marked, and the white nape is
obscured by the feathers being tipped
with yellowish brown.

The female lacks the black head and
throat, though there is a tawny black
band on each side of the throat. The
nape is gray.

Distribution. — Europe and Asia.
Winter visitant in the Yangtse Valley.
Notes. — These little Buntings are
commonly found in the dry reeds of the
marshes in the winter, usually singly
or several in the same neighborhood.
They are not very shy, and make quite
short flights, when disturbed, rarely
leaving the patch of reeds, however
small it may be. When alarmed, how-
ever, they are quite adept at hiding,
and are very difficult to flush.

INDEX.

PAGE

Acanthopneuste borealis 167

,, coronata 167

,, tenellipes 168

Accipiter gularis 51

,, nisus 50

,, virgatus 51

Accipitrinae 5, 50

Aerocephalus agricola 162

,, bistrigiceps 162

,, orientalis 161

Actitis hypoleucos 71

Adjutant, Smaller 23

Aegialitis alexandrina 77

,, dubia 77

,, placida 77

Aegithaliscus concinnus 187

Aegitlialos glaucogularis 186

Aesalon regulus 41

Aethiopsar cristatellus 200

Agropsar sturninus 202

Aix galericulata 34

Alauda arvensis 115

Alaudidae 6, 115

Alcedinidae 6, 96

Alcedo bengalensis 96

,, ispida 96

Alseonax latii'ostris ... 141

Amaurornis coccineipes 66

,, phoenicurus 62

Ampelidae 6, 177

Ainpelis garrulus 177

,, japonicus 178

Anas boschas 29

,, platyrhynchus 29

,, zonorhynchus 30

Anatidae 5, 24

Anatinae 5, 29

Anorthura f umigata 158

INDEX.

Anser albifrons

, , cinereus

,, cygnoides

, , erythropus

,, fabalis...

, , segetum

, , serrirostris
Anseriformes...
Anserinae
Anthus blakistoni
cervinus
hodgsoni
japonicus..
maculatus
richardi
Apus pacificus
Aquila heliaca

, , maculata
Aquilinae
Archibuteo hemiptilopus
Ardea einerea
Ardeidae
Ardeola bacchus
Arenaria interpres
Asio brachyotus

,, flammeus

,, otus

,, vulgaris...
Astur cuculoides

,, soloensis
Avocet

Bahhler, Lesser Scimitar .
,, Red-headed ... .
Bambusieola thoracica

Bee-eater

Birds, Crane-like ... .

,, Cuckoo-like ... .

,, Diving

,, Falcon-like ... .

,, Fowl-like

,, Goose-like

,, Perching

,, Plover-like ... .

,, Boiler-like ... .

,, Sparrow-like ... .

,, Stork-like

,, Weaver

Bittern, 'Great

Blackbird, Chinese ... .

Blue Throat - ... .

Botaurus stellaris

Brambling

Bubo bubo

,, coromandus ... .

PAGE

2.5

26

29

26

26

26

26

5, 24

5, 25

120

119

121

120

121

118

108

47

47

5, 46

50

16

5, 15

17

78

104

104

104

104

51

51

76

133

135

55

6, 100

5, 59

6, 90

4
5, 38
5, 51

5, 24
114

6, 68
6, 94

6
5, 12

7, 204

21
146
156

21
211
103
106

INDEX. Ill
PAGE

Bubo ignavus 103

Buboninae 103

Bubulcus coi'omandus 22

Buchanga atia 175

„ leucogenys 177

Budytes borealis 127

,, citreola 128

,, flavua simillimus 128

,, taivanus 128

Bulbuls 6,135

,, Black-headed 133

,, Blue 138

,, Chinese 136

,, Finch-billed 138

,, White-headed Black 137

,, Yellow-vented 137

Bullfiiich, Oriental 209

Buntings 206

,, Chestnut 217

,, Gray-headed 213

,, Green-headed 214

,, Japanese 220

,, Lapland 213

,, Little 216

,, Little Chestnut ... 218

,, Faulted 214

,, Reed 221

,, Ruddy 220

,, Rustic 215

,, Tristram's 216

,, Yellow-breasted 219

,, Yellow-browed 219

,, Yelloxo-throated 218

Bustards 5, 67

,, Eastern 67

Butastei- indicus 46

Buteo hemilasius 60

,, plumipes 50

Buteonidae 5, 43

Buteoninae ■ 5, 43, 49

Butorides javanicus 22

Buzzards 5, 43, 49

,, Harrier 50

,, Himalayan Rough-legged ... 60

,, White-tailed 50

Calearius lapponieus 213

Calidris leucophaea 77

Calliope calliope 154

Campephaga melanoptera ... 174

Campephagidae 6, 172

Caprimulgidae 6, 106

Caprimulgus jotaka 177

Carpodacus erythrinus 209

Casai'ca feruginea 34

IV INDEX,

Cerchnis saturatus
,, tinnunculus

Certhiidae

Ceryle guttulata ...

,, lugubris ...

,, rudis insignis
Cettia canturians ...

,, fortipes
Chaetura caudaeuta

Charadriidae

Charadriiformes ...
Charadrius fulvus
Chaulelasmus streperus
Chettusia cinerea...
Chloris sinica
Chibia hoitentotta
Chicken, Bamboo...
Cichloselys sibiricus
Ciconia nigra

Ciconiidae

Ciconiiformes

Circinae

Circus aeruginosus

, , eyaneus

,, macrurus ...

, , melanoleucus

,, pygargus ...

,, spilonotus ...

Cinclidae

Cinclus pallasi souliei
Cisticola cisticola tinnabulans
Classification
Clamator coromandus
Clangula clangula
,, glaucion
Coceothraustes coccothraustes

japonicus
Coccystes coromandus
Coleus dauricua ...

,, neglectus ...

Columbidae

Colymbiformes ...

Colymbus auritus...

, , cristatus

, , philippensis

Copsychus saularis

Coots

Coraciidae

Coraciiformes

Cormorants

Corvidae

Corvus frugilegus pastinator

, , macrorhynchus levaiilauti

,, torquatus ...
Coturnicops oxquisita

PAGE

42

43

7, 204

99

99

100

163

164

108

6, 68

68

77

34

68

211

176

55

151

22

5, 22

5, 12

5, 47
48
48
49
49
49
49

6, 156

157

165

4

93

35

35

208

93

.192,195

.192,195

6, 87

4, 7

12

11

9

152

59,65

6, 95
6, 94

5, 13, 14

7, 191, 192

192, 194

192, 193

192

INDEX. V

PAGE

Coturnix communis ... 53

,, coturnix 53

,, japonica 55

Crake, Baillon 66

,, Exquisite 66

Cranes 5, 66

,, Gray 66

,, Green-billed 66

,, Manchuvian 66

,, White-headed 66

,, White Siberian 66

Creepers 7, 204

,, Red-ioinged 204

Crows 7, 191

,, Big-billed 193

,, Collared 192

,, King 175

Croiotits 7, 187

,, Austen's 188

,, Heude's 188

,, Rufous 189

,, Webb's 188

Cuckoos 6,90

,, Common 91

Dark ox Hill 94

,, Hawk • ... 94

,, Indian 92

,, Rcd-toinged Crested 93

,, Small 94

Cuculus canorus telephonns 91

,, intermedius 94

,, mieropterus 92

,, optatus 94

Cuculidae 6, 90

Cuculiformes 6, 90

Curletvs 6, 77

,, Eastern 77

Little 77

Cryptolopha valentini 145

Cyanopica cyanus ,. 192,197

Cyanoptila cyanomalaena 144

Cyanosylvia sueccica robusta 156

Cygninae 5, 24

Cygnopsis cygnoides 29

Dafila acuta ' 34

Dayal Bird 152

Dendrocopus cabinisi 110

Dendrocygna javanica 34

Dendronanthus indicus 123

Dicruridae 6, 175

Dippers 6,156

,, South China 157

Divers 7

,, Bed-throated 8

INDEX.

PAGE

Dotterel, Eastern

77

Doves

. 6, 87

,, Spotted-necked ... .

87

,, Red Turtle

89

Drongos

. 6, 175

Drongo, Black

175

,, Hairy Crested

176

,, White-cheeked

177

Dryobates cabanisi

110

Dryonastes perspicillatus

131

Ducks

5

,, Eastern White-eyed

36

Mallard

29

,, Mandarin

34

,, Pintail ,..

34

,, River

. 5, 29

Sea

.. 5, 34

,, Tufted

35

Yelloio-nib

30

Dunlin

76

Dupetor flavicollis •■•

22

Eagles

5, 43, 46

,, Bonelli's

47

,, Buzzard

44

, , Grey-faced Buzzard ... .

46

,, Hodgson's Hatvk

47

,, Imperial

47

,, Large Spotted

47

,, Sea

44

,, White-tailed Sea

46

Egret, Cattle

22

,, Great

22

,, Lesser

22

,, Little

22

Egretta garzetta

22

Emberiza aureola

219

eastaneieeps

218

,, chrysophrys

219

,, cioides

217

,, elegans

218

,, fucata

214

,, pallasi

221

,, pusilla

216

,, rustica

215

,, rutila

220

,, spodocephala

213

,, ,, melanops .

214

,, tristrami

216

,, yessoensis

220

Enicuridae

. 6, 129

Enicui'us sinensis

129

Eophona melanura

207

,, personata magnirostris

208

Erithaeus sibilans

156

INPEX, vil
PAGE

Erolia feiTUginea 76

Erythropus amurensis 43

Eunetta falcata 33

,, formosa 32

Eurynoi'hynchus pygmaeus 77

Eurystomus orien talis calonyx 95

r alco aesalon 41

,, peregrinator 43

,, peregrinus 89

,, regulus 41

,, subbuteo 40

,, tinnunculus saturatus 42

Falcon, Shahin ... 43

, , Eastern Red-footed 43

Falconet, WJiite-legged 43

Falconidae 5, 38

Falconiformes 5, 38

Falcons 5,38

Finch, Cri7nson 209

,, Chinese Green 211

Finches 7

Flycatchers 6

,, Blue and While 144

,, Brown 141

,, Grey -spotted 142

,, Ince's Paradise 144

,, Japanese Paradise 145

,, Narcissus 141

Old World 139

,, Red-throated 140

,, Robin 142

,, Siberian 141

,, Tricolor 143

Forktails 6, 129

,, Chinese 129

Little 130

Fnngilla montifringilla 211

Fringillidae 7, 206

Fulica atra 65

Fuligulinae 5, 34

Gadwall 34

Gallicrex einerea 63

Galliformes 5, 51

Gallinago coelestis 73

,, gallinago 73

,, raegala 74

,, solitaria 77

,, stenura 74

Gallinula chloropus 61

,, phoenicurus 62

Gallinules 59

Garrulus sinensis 192,199

Gavia septentrionalis 8

YIU INDEX.

PAGE

Gavia stcllata 8

Gaviidae 4, 7

Gecinus guerini 109

Geese 5, 25

,, True 5

Glareolidae 6, 78

Glaucidium brodiei 106

,, whiteleyi 105

Glottis nebularius 77

Goatsuckers 6, 106

Godwit, Pacific 77

,, Black-tailed 77

Gold Crest 169

Golden Eye 35

Goose, Bean 27

,, Grey Lag 27

,, Lesser White-fronted 26

,, Pygmy 27

,, Swan 29

,, White-fronted 25

Goshawk, Horsfield's 51

,, TemmiiKk's 51

Grebes 4, 9

,, Eared 12

,, Eastern Little 9

,, Great Crested 11

Greenshank 77

Gruidae 5,66

Gruiformes 5, 59

Grus japonensis 66

„ lilfordi 66

,, monachus 66

Gulls 6, 80

,, Black-tailed 82

,, Common 82

,, Laughing 83

,, Saunder's 84

,, Yelloto-legged Herring 81

Haematopus osculans 78

Halcyon coromandus major 100

,, pileatus 98

,, smyrnensis 100

Haliaetus albioilla 46

Haliastur indus 46

Harriers 5, 47

,, Eastern Marsh 49

Hen 48

,, Marsh 48

,, Montagu's 49

,, Pale 49

Pied 49

Hawfinch Black- headed 207

,, Commom ... 208

,, Masked 208

INDEX. ix
PAGK

Hawks 5, 43

,, Besra Sparrow 51

,, Fish 43

,, Japanese Sparrow 51

,, Sparroio 5, 50

Helodromus ocbropus 70

Hemiehelidon griseisticta 142

,, sibirica 141

Hemipodes 51

Herodias alba 22

Herons 5^ ig

,, Black Crowned Night ' 20

,, Cinnamon 19

Eastern Pnrple 22

M Orey 16

,, Little Green 22

,, Poiid 17

Von Schrenck's Little 22

,, Yellow-necked 22

Heteractitis brevipes 77

Hierococeyx fugax nisieolov 94

Himantopns himantopus 76

Hirundinidae 6, 169

Hirundo gutturalis 171

,, nipalensis 172

Hobby 40

Hoopoes 6, 100. 101

Horornis eanturians 163

,, fortipes 164

Hydrocbelidon hybrida 87

,, leucoptera 85

Hydrophasianus cbirurgus 79

Hydroprogne caspia 85

Hypotaenidia jouyi 65

Hysipetes amaurotis 138

,, leueoeephalus 137

lantbia eyanura 1.55

Ibis leueocepbalus 23

Ibises (Ibididae) 5, 23

,, Japanese Crested '23

lyngipieus scintilliceps Ill

lynx torquilla 112

tjacanas 6 78

,, Plieasant-tailed '79

Jacanidae 6 78

Jackdaw, Black '195

r 'U,. ^^^ •'• 195

Jay, Cmnese 199

Jynx torquilla 112

Kestrel, Darker 42

,, Japanese .,, 43

Ketupa flavipes 106

Key to the Corvidae 192

X INDEX.

PAGE

Key to the Pipits 117

,, ,, ,, Wagtails 122, 123

Kingfishers 6, 96

,, Black-capped 98

„ Great Spotted 99

Little Blue 96

,, Pied 100

,, Buddy 100

White-breasted 100

Kituflets 6, 168

Kites 5, 43, 44

,, Black-eared 45

,, Brahminy 46

Knot 77

,, Big-billed 77

Laniidae 7, 178

Lanius bueephalus 181

cristatus 181

lucionensis 180

magnirostris , 183

schach 180

sphenocercus 179

supereiliosus 181

tephi'onotus 180

tigrinus 183

Lapwings 6, 69

,, Grey 68

Larklae 6, 80

Larinae 6, 80

Larks 6, 115

Larus cachinnans 81

,, canus 82

,, crassirostris 82

,, melanurus 82

,, ridibundus 83

,, saundersi 84

,, vegae 84

Larvivora cyanea 154

Leptoptilus javanicus 23

Liminodromus indicus 123

Limnobaenus fuscus 66

,, paykulli 66

, , taczanowski 77

Limosa lapponica baueri 77

,, limosa 77

Lobivanellus cinereus 68

Locustella certhiola 159

,, fasciolata 161

,, lanceolata 160

Loons 4, 7

,, Red-throated 8

JMagpies 191

,, Azitre-winqed 197

INDEX.

PAGE

Magpies Chinese Blue

. ... 198

Pied

. ... 196

Mareca penelope . .

. ... 34

Marila baeri

. ... 36

, , f erina

. ... 36

,, fuligula ..

. ... 35

, , marila

. ... 36

,, mariloides. .

. ... 36

Martin, Sand

. ... 170

Mergansers

. ...3,36,37

,, Eed-breasted ... .

. ... 38

Mergellus albellus

. ... 36

Merginae

. ... 5, 36

Mergus albellus

. ... 36

,, castor

. ... 37

,, merganser

. ... 37

,, serrator

. ... 37

Merlin

. ... 41

Meropidae

. ... 6, 100

Merula mandarina

. ... 146

Mesaphoyx intermedia ... .

. ... 22

Mesoscolopax minutus ... .

. ... 77

Microeichla scouleri .

. ... 130

Microhierax melanoleucus ... .

. ... 43

Micropodidae

. ... 6, 108

Microsarcops cinereus

. ... 68

Milvinae

. ... 5, 44

Milvus melanotis

. ... 45

Minivets

. ... 6, 172

,, BlacTc-winged ... .

. ... 174

,, Gray

. ... 173

,, Lesser Scarlet ... .

. ... 174

,, Swinhoe's

. ... 173

Moorlwn

. ... 61

Motacilla boarula

. ... 126

,, leucopsis

. ... 123

,, melanope

. ... 126

Motacillidae

. ... 6, 116

Munia, Chinese

. ... 206

,, Sharp-tailed

. ... 205

Munia, acuticauda

. ... 205

, , punctulata topela ... .

. ... 206

Muscicapa albicilla

. ... 140

,, grisola

. ... 142

Muscicapidae

. ... 6, 139

Myiophoneus caeruleus ... .

. ... 150

Mynah, Crested

. ... 200

Nannoenus eurythmus ... .

. ... 22

Nettapus coromandelianus ... .

. ... 27

Nettion crecca

. ... 31

,, formosum ... .

. ... 32

Nettium crecca

. ... 31

Nightjars

106

, , Japamsi

107

XU INDEX.

Ninox japonioa

Nipponia nippon

Nisaetus f asciatus

Numenius arquatus lineatus

,, phaeopus variegatus.
Nuthaiclies

,, Chiilese

Nyctieorax griseus

, , nyctieorax

Octhodromus geoffi'oyi ... .

,, veredus

Oenopopelia humilis

Oidemia eaibo

,, fusca

Olor bewicki minor

,, cygnus

Oreicola feii'ea

Oreocincla varia

Oriole, Black-napcd

Orioles

Oiiolidae

Oriolus diff usus

Ospreys

Otidae

Otis dybowskii

Otus glabripes

,, semitorques

,, stictonotus

Ousel, Brown Japanese ... .

,, Dusky

,, Gray

,, Gray -backed

,, Pale

,, Red-tailed

Otvlet, Whiteley's

Owls

Oivls, Broivn Hatuk

,, Collared Pygmy

, , Dusky Hortied

,, Elegant

,, Great Eagle

,, Half-collared

,, Hortied

,, Long-eared

,, Sliart-eared

, , Spotted Pygmy

,, Taiony Fish

Oyster Catcher

i adda oryzivoia

Pandion haliaetus

Pandioninae

Paradoxornis guttaticoUis

,, heudei ,

PAGE

106

23

47

77

77

.. 7, 183

184

20

20

77

77

89

36

36

25

25

156

151

190

.. 7, 190

.. 7, 190

190

5, 43, 44

. 5, 67

67

106

106

106

150

150

148

147

148

149

105

. 6, 102

106

106

106

106

103

106

103

104

104

106

106

78

206

44

. 5, 43

188

188

INDEX. 3"li

PAGE

Paradoxornithidae 7, 187

Pardilaparus venustulus 185

Paridae 7, 184

Partridges 5, 53

,, Bamboo 55

Parus minor 184

,, palustris 185

Passer montanus 209

,, rutilans 210

Passeriformes 6, 114

Pelecanidae 5, 12

Pelecanus philippensis 14

Pelicans 5, 12

,, Spotted-billed 13

Pelidna alpina 76

Perdicinae 5, 53

Peregrine 39

,, Falcon 39

Pericrocotus brevirostris 174

,, cantonensis 173

,, einereus 173

Petrophila gularis 151

,, manilla 151

,, solitaria 151

Phalaciocoracidae 5, 13

Phalacrocorax carbo 14

Phasianidae .•• 5, 53

Phasianinae 56

Phasianus holdereri 56

,, reevesi 59

,, torquatus 56

Pheasants 5, 53, 56

,, Danoin'i 59

,, Reeve^s 59

,, Ring-necked 56

Water 78

Phoenicunis auroreus 152

Pica pica sericea 192,196

Picidae 6, 108

Picumnus chinensis Ill

Pious cabanisi 110

,, canus 114

,, guerini 109

Pigeons 6,*87

,, BUe 88

Pipits 6, 116

,, Blakiston's Water 120

,, EasternTree 121

Water 120

,, Red-throated 119

,, Richard's 118

Pisobia acuminata 76

,, damacensis 76

,, platyrhyncha 76

,, ruficollis 77

PAGE

Pisobia temmiiickii

. ... 76

Planesticus mandarin us ... .

. ... 146

Platalea leucovodia

. ... 24

minor

24

Plateleidae

. ... 5, 23

Ploceidae

. ... 7,204

Plovers

. ... 6,68

., Eastern Golden ... .

. ... 77

,, Geoff roji^s Sand ... .

. ... 77

,, Gray Blade-bellied... .

. ... 77

,, Hodgson's Ringed

. ... 77

., Kentish

. ... 77

, , Little Ringed

. ... 77

,, Mongolian Sand ... .

. ... 77

Pochard

. ... 36

Podicipedidae

. ... 4,9

Podiceps cristatus

. ... 11

,, minor

. ... 9

Polionetta zonorhyncha ... .

. ... 30

Poliomyas luteola

. ... 142

Pomatorhinus stridulus ... .

. ... 133

,, styani

. ... 133

Porzana pusilla auricularis . . . .

. ... 66

Pratincoles

. ... 6, 78

Pratincola maura

. ... 156

Pseudogeranus leucauchen... .

. ... 66

Pucrasia darwini

. ... 58

,, joretiana

. ... 59

Pyenonotidate

. ... 6, 135

Pycnonotus sinensis

. ... 136

,, xantborrous ... .

. ... 137

Pyrrhula griseiventris

. ... 209

Quails

. ... 5, 53

,, Blanford's Button ... .

. ... 52

,, Bustard

. ... 5,51

,, Common

. ... 53

,, Japanese

. ... 55

„ Old World

. ... 5, 53

Querquedula creeca

. ... 31

,, querquedula ... .

. ... 34

Hails

. ... 5, 59

,, Blue-banded

. ... 65

,, Indian Water

. ... 60

,, Bed-throated

. ... 66

Fvallidae

. ... 5. 59

Kallus indicus

. ... 60

Recurvir ostra avosetta

. ... 76

Red-shank

. ... 77

,, Spotted

. ... 77

Redstart, Daurian

. ... 152

,, Plumbeous Water

. ... 153

Regulidae

6, 168

Reguloidea proregulus

. ... 166

INDEX. XV
PAGE

Reguloides superciliosus 166

Begulus cristatus 169

Remiza consobrina 187

Ehyaeophilus glareola 77

Rhyaeornis fuliginosus 153

Rhynchaea capensis 75

Riparia liparia 170

Robin, Blue-tailed 155

Rollers 6, 95

,, Broad-hilled 95

Rooh, Eastern 194

Rostratula benghalensis 75

Ruby Throat 154

Euticilla aurorea 152

Sanderling 77

Sandpiper Common 71

Green 70

,, Spoonbill 77

TereJc 77

Wood 77

Sarcogeranus leucogeranus 66

Scaup 36

,, Eastern 36

Seolopax rusticola 72

Scoter, Velvet 36

,, Eastern Velvet 36

Shelldrake 34

,, Ruddy 34

Shoveller 34

Shrikes 7, 178

Bull-headed 181

Cuckoo 172

,, Eastern Gray 179

,, Grey-backed 180

Indian Brown 181

Japarcese Red-tailed 181

,, Philippine Red-tailed 180

Red-backed 180

Thick-billed 183

Silver Eyes 7,202

,, Eye 203

,, ,, Brown-flanked 204

Siphia albicilla 140

Siskin 212

Sitta caesia sinensis 184

Sittidae 7, 183

Skylark 115

Smew 36

Snipe 6, 68

Fantail 73

Greater Sp^-ing 74

Lesser Spring 74

Painted 75

Pintail 74

XVI INDEX.

PAGE

Snipe Solitary 77

,, Stvinhoe's 74

Snippet ... 70

Sparroivs 7. 206

,, Java 208

,, Ruddy 210

,, Tree 209

Spatula clypeata 34

Spilopelia chinensis 87

Spinus spinus 212

Spizaetus nipalensis 47

Spizixus semitorques 138

Spodiopsar cineraceus 201

,, sericeus 202

Spooiibills 5, 23

,, Greater 24

,, Lesser 24

Squatarola sqatarola 77

Starlings 7, 200

Gray 201

Silky 202

Stachyridopsis ruficeps 135

Starlet Daiirian 202

Stilt, Black-winged 77

Stint, Broad-billed 76

,, Curlew 76

,, Long-toed 76

,, Bed-necked 77

Sharp-tailed 76

,, Temmiiick's 76

Stonechat, Eastern 156

,, Gray 156

Stork, Black 22

,, Painted 23

Stm-ks 5,22

Streptopelia humilis 89

Strigidae 6, 102

Sturna fluviatilis 86

,, hirundo 86

,, sinensis 86

Sturnidae 7, 200

Sturninae 6, 84

Suthora suft'usa 189

,, webbiana 188

Suya crinigera 134

Sioalhws 6, 169

,, Eastern House 171

Golden-backed 172

,, Mosque 172

Swans 5, 24

,, Bewick^s 25

,, Whooper 25

,, Wild 25

S7vifts 6, 108

,, Large White-rumped 108

INDEX. XVI 1
PAGE

Swifts Spine-tailed 108

Sylvidae 6, 158

Tadoraa tadorna 34

Tattler, Eastern Wandering 77

Teal, Common 31

,, Cotton 27

,, Falcated 33

,, Gargamy 34

,, Green-winged 31

,, Lesser Whistling 34

,, Spectacled 32

Terekia cinerea 77

Terns 6,80,84

,, Caspian 85

,, Chinese Little 86

,, Fork-tailed 86

,, Whiskered 87

,, White-winged Black 85

Terpsiphone incii 144

,, princeps 145

Threskiornithidae (Ibididae) 5, 23

Thrushes 6, 145

,, Babbling 6, 131

,, Brown Laughing 132

Fruit 135

,, Red- bellied Rock 151

,, Red-breasted Rock 151

,, Siberian Ground 151

,, Spectacled Laughing 131

,, Whitens Ground 151

,, Wfiite-throated Rock 151

,, Violet Whistling 150

Tichodroma muraria 204

Timeliidae 6, 131

Tit, Brown 187

,, Lesser Gray 184

,, Marsh 185

,, Red-headed 187

,, Silver-throated 186

,, Yellow 185

Titmice 7, 184

Totanus erythropus 77

,, hypoleucos 71

,, ochropus 70

,, totanus 77

Tringa canutus 76

,, erassirostris 76

Tringoides hypoleucos 71

Trochalopfceron canorum 132

Troglodytidae 6, 157

Turdus ohrysolaus 150

,, eunomus 150

,, hortulorum 147

,, naumanni 149

INDEX.

PAGE

Turdus obscurus

148

,, pallidus

148

Turdidae

6, 145

Turnicidae

5, 51

Turnix blanfoi'di

52

,, maculatus

52

Turnstone

78

Turfcur chinensis

87

,, humilis

89

,, orientalis

88

,, rupieola

88

XJ pupa epops

101

Upupidae

.. ... 6, 100

Urocissa sinensis

192, 198

Uroloncha squamicollis

205

Vanellus cristatus

69

,, vanellus

69

Vultur monachus

47

Vultures

5, 47

,, Cifiereous

47

Vulturinae

5, 47

Wagtails

6, 116

,, Blue-headed

128

,, Eastern Gray

136

,, ,, Pied

125

,, Forest

123

,, Gray-headed

127

,, Green-headed

128

,, Streak-eyed

125

, , White-faced

123

,, Yellow-headed ...

128

War

blcrs

6, 158

, Arctic Willow

167

Brown-streaked Hill

134

, Chinese Bush

163

Crowned Willow ...

167

, Eastern Great Reed

161

Gray's Grasshopper

161

, Paddy-field

162

, Pale-legged Willoio

168

, Pallas' Grasshopper

159

, ,,, Willow ...

166

Fuufous Fantail ...

165

Schrenek's Reed ...

162

, South China Bush

164

, Streaked Grasshoppci

160

Yellow-browed Willoiv

166

Water Cock

63

Water Hen, Crimson-legged

66

,, Wliite-hreasied

62

Waxioings

6, 177

,, Bohemian

177

INDEX.

PAGE

Waxioincis Japanese

178

Weaver Birds

7, 204

Whimbrel, Eastern

77

Whooper

25

Widgeon

34

Woodchat

156

,, Bhie

154

Woodcock

72

Woodpeckers

6, 108

,, North China Green ... 114

Pied

110

,, Spark-headed

Ill

,, Yangtse Green

109

Wrens

6. 157

,, Eastern

158

Xanthopygia narcissina ..

143

,, tricolor

143

,, xanthopygia...

143

Yangipicus scintilliceps ...

Ill

Zosteropidae

7, 202

Zosterops erythropleurus ...

204

,, simplex

203

■^l-l^-

BIRDS

OF THE

LOWER
YANQTSE VALLEY.

GEE AND MOFFETT.

''^■■^■■v-mi/^^

iSi':'

MW$:k

ll

■}>. i.-,-v,;,;-'':S:f;-;i^

) ■::■■-

■'^vJ(^;l^iv;i;.lI';>•'^';^;;;''?V^ •

v;{*>^

'■ ''/•'':.;^^^^-*^'i?'?''^'''-v?f nt'" r-r. , ■

mmmtm

CD

o

O

C3

H<

<D

SB

<D

3

w

cn

k; Q

a

P CD

»

P a

H^

t

CO •

•

<l c^

•*>

5»

-tj

M r.

^

!»-• O

■t-

<D i-i)

CI>

-4

d-

C^

-4

HJ »»

to f