324 Mr. J. D. de La Touche on 



he consented to go on as far as the top of the hill. As I 

 expected, the walk was most interesting ; the path was wide 

 and well kept ; every now and then we came to a level open 

 space, where the savages had been camping or cutting wood. 

 Resting at one of the clearings, we ate our midday rice, 

 seated on billets of wood left by the natives. The melan- 

 choly call {" too-too-too-too-lo-too-leeoo ") of a Barbet high 

 up on the mountain, and the scream of a bird of prey, which 

 Ignacio said was that of the Spizaetus, were the only sounds 

 to be heard till the calm was broken by a swish of wings and 

 a loud twittering and screaming, announcing the arrival of a 

 flock of Black Bulbuls {Hypsipetes nigerrimus) on the neigh- 

 bouring trees. When they had gone a Tree-Pie was observed 

 hunting for insects or fruit on a tree close by, silently inspect- 

 ing the foliage, to which it hung in the fashion of a Tit. A 

 short way further up I had the good fortune to secure a fine 

 adult male Barbet [Cyanops nuchalis), as it sat motionless on a 

 branch, with its tail comically perked up. In a part of the forest 

 free from thick undergrowth I shot a small bird, which had 

 alighted in front of me under the shelter of a large fern ; this 

 was a specimen of the pretty little Horornis squameiceps. 



We passed by an old pitfall dug by the savages ; a young 

 tree that grew from its centre must have been originally 

 the stake planted there to kill the trapped game. Now, to 

 improve matters, it began to rain. It was quite dark when, 

 tired and Avet through, we reached the Mission. We had 

 walked twelve hours. 



Some men brought in during the evening a few birds : 

 Motacilla leucopsis in full breeding-dress, Alauda wattersi, 

 a lovely male Myiagra azurea, Pomatorhinus musicus, and 

 others. I also purchased a young Turnix taigoor, which I 

 afterwards took to Amoy. 



November \Qth. Fine, rain later. Skinned birds till 3 p.m., 

 then went out for a stroll about the village. Shot Cettia 

 minuta, C. canturiens, Pom. musicus, which are common in the 

 bamboo-edges. Others found in similar places are Zosterops 

 simplex, Pycnonotus sinensis, Oriolus diffusus, Buchanga 

 atra, and, in the fields, numbers of Mo/cci/Za taivana, Anthus 



