South Formosa and its Birds. 313 



hill I disturbed a magnificent Crested Eagle [Spizaetus 

 nipalensis ?) , which sailed ofF slowly to perch some hundred 

 yards away on a tall tree commanding the wood. In an 

 ill-advised attempt to get near the bird, I managed to lose 

 myself in the jungle, coming out in the valley in a sorry 

 condition after half an hour's struggle with thorns, and 

 creeping and climbing plants, which twisted round me and 

 refused to let go. But worst of all were the prickly bamboos, 

 with their little hooks at every joint, which tore my clothes 

 to shreds. It had begun to be so hot that the hills, eagle 

 and all, were given up for that day and I went straight 

 home. 



It was terribly hot all day, and we were obliged to keep 

 to the house. To pass the time I skinned some birds, assisted 

 by my coolie. A man brought me a Trochalopteron taivanum, 

 a Motacilla taivana, of which there are great numbers in the 

 rice-fields, and a Buchanga atra in moult. The moulting- 

 season seems very late here, and some birds apparently 

 go on breeding until late in the autumn, for many of the 

 birds I procured on this trip were still in full moult, and 

 nestlings of Munia topela, barely able to fly, were brought 

 to me several times. I noticed but few cage-birds in this 

 locality ; Munias and a Trocliahpteron taivanum were the only 

 species kept by the natives. A live Kestrel {Falco tinnunculus) , 

 evidently just caught, was brought to me for sale. Late in 

 the afternoon I procured a male Myiagra azurea. 



On the 6th I again ventured up the hills, setting off at 

 daybreak. Bain took another direction, as before. This 

 time my guide took me up the mountains immediately 

 behind the village. The result was little better than that of 

 the previous day, and SAVord-grass jungle, Munias, and Grass- 

 Warblers (not recognized) were about all that I saw at first. 

 I heard the large Pomatorhinus and Partridges calling. A stiff 

 clinib up the steep path that leads to Kamana brought us to 

 the top of the range. Doves, which I was anxious to get, 

 were cooing in some ravines inaccessible from below, and, 

 despite the remonstrances of the native, I attempted to get 

 at them from above by walking through the grass jungle on 



