Birds of Northern Formosa. 365 



31. Anthus richardi Vieill. 



There were always a few of these Pipits to be seeu (luring 

 the winter on the downs behind our house at Hobe. They 

 were fond of perching on the telegraph-wires and were very 

 wild. Four specimens were obtained ; the last was shot on 

 25th March and was in moult. I heard one on 21st April. 

 The examples collected belong to the larger race that winters 

 in Fohkien. 



32. Hypsipetes nigerrimus Gould. 



Very few, if any, of these birds are found near Hobe in 

 winter. I saw one on the North Hill on 4th November, 

 but did not see any more till the 17th February. After this 

 date they became common in the country, and a few pairs 

 settled at the port, where, I believe, they nested on the 

 banyans and higher trees. 



A nest was brought to me by the old man who used to 

 collect for me on the 25th June. It contained three eggs 

 slightly incubated. The ground-colour of these eggs, origin- 

 ally a lovely orange-pinkish white, has now faded to a dull 

 pinkish white. Two of the eggs have irregular spots, of two 

 or three shades of brown (one nearly black), chiefly gathered 

 at the thick end in an irregular ring, and have underlying 

 blotches of a bluish-grey colour. In the other egg the 

 spots are spread over the whole egg, but are rather more 

 numerous about the thick end. The shape of these eggs is 

 a slightly elongated oval. The texture of the eggs is 

 smooth and glossy. They measure 1" X 0"'7; l"-02 x 

 0"-72; l"-05 X 0"-73. 



The nest is made of bamboo-leaves, twigs, and (on the 

 outside) of moss, with a few cobwebs attached. It is lined 

 with pine-needles and very fine twigs or leaf-stalks. It is a 

 shallow cup, about 1"*5 deep ; iimer diameter about 3"-5, 

 outer diameter about 5". This nest bears a general re- 

 semblance to two of H. leucocephalus from Fohkien. 



33. Pycnonotus sinensis (Gm.). 



I procured eggs of this abundant species on 19th May 

 and on 1st July. The former were much incubated ; the 



SER. VII. — VOL. IV. 2 c 



