Mr. R. Swinhoe on Fonnosan Ornithology. 299 



iVoiii Taiwanfoo, I was quietly walking my horse through the 

 town of Ar-kongteem, when I spied, in a cage hanging up at a 

 shop-door, a bird new to me. I stopped, and tried to induce 

 the shopman to sell it to me, but in vain. The next day I sent 

 one of my hunters to bargain for it. He succeeded in getting 

 it, though at no small figure. The bird was provided by its 

 former master with a small pot of water, and another of fried 

 rice, the grains of which latter it picked up individually with its 

 bill and munched after the manner of Finches. Suspended from 

 the roof of the cage, over a high perch, hung a dome of soft 

 cock's hackles shaped like a large shuttle-cock inverted. Under 

 the cover of this the bird would creep to shelter itself from the 

 night's cold — a pretty and cheap invention, which, I think, 

 might be recommended to lovers of the more tender birds at 

 home. The little captive was extremely lively, continuing to 

 hop about incessantly, and clinging to the top bars Titmouse- 

 fashion. It uttered repeatedly a pleasant series of notes, and 

 only occasionally a single note. When frightened, or wanting 

 to attract attention, it would give forth a suppressed " chur." 

 It was very tame, coming to the side of the cage when any one 

 approached it, and pecking at the protruded tongue. Its Chinese 

 master had reared it from the nest ; with me it lived only a few 

 days; but 1 could not ascertain the cause of death. The speci- 

 men was a female. A few days later my hunter succeeded in 

 getting me a male. This little gem was housed in a similar 

 manner to the last, but was provided, in addition, with a small 

 bowl of water, in which he delighted to bathe both morning and 

 evening. The food supplied was of two sorts, pounded millet - 

 seed in one cup, and a kind of " German paste," made of pounded 

 rice and the yelk of egg, in another. He fed well, revelled in 

 the sun, and roosted under his hackled roof apparently quite 

 content. His note was more monosyllabic than that of the 

 female, and he moved about more sedately. If one approached 

 the cage he would begin shaking and quivering his wings, chir- 

 ruping, and sidling slowly towards the person. If the face 

 were put down to the side of the cage, his agitation and the 

 tremor of his wings would increase ; and he would keep on this 

 fun as long as the face continued near. But if the finger were 



