94 Mr. R. Swinhoe on the Ornithology of Hainan. 



speak, regard the black-billed and the red-billed birds as dis- 

 tinct. On several occasions I saw them in shops in the towns, 

 either perched on their triangular frame-cages, to which they 

 were chained, or walking about freely over the counter. The 

 iris of the bird is white, its legs whitish-grey. 



I cannot say that this species is common in Hainan ; for I 

 sought for it without success, and did not even see it until I 

 got to Tai-ping-sze. Here, on my halt when journeying in- 

 wards, I noticed a small party flying at a height overhead. On 

 my rest at the same place coming back, I suddenly came on a 

 tolerably large number of them feeding on the wild berries of 

 a hedge. I fired and secured two red-bills and a black-bill, 

 which, on dissection, turned out to be males and female as I 

 had expected. The rest were off so quick on the other side of 

 the hedge that I did not see them again. On shore, at Hao- 

 suy harbour (N.W. Hainan), I saw the only other example of 

 this bird. It was a male, and made such a noise talking to 

 himself that he attracted my attention. He was sitting all 

 alone on the bough of a tree near a village. 



28. PiCUS MAN DARIN us, Gould. 



This Woodpecker only occurred to us on the jungly shore 

 of Yulinkan Bay (S. Hainan), which, though offering the finest 

 harbour in the island, is entirely deserted by the Chinese. A 

 few Le aborigines were met on shore, who brought water and 

 cut wood for us, in exchange for some old clothes taken out of 

 the pirate junks. The jungle on the hills, right to the beach, 

 was, in many places, impenetrable without a knife ; and many a 

 good bird I lost from the impossibility of getting to it. Every 

 savage here carries a large knife, in a pitcher-shaped basket 

 fastened to the back of his waist, and with the knife he clears 

 his way through the strong rattan and other tangles that cross 

 the woods at every height. For a supply of cigars I induced a 

 savage to guide me about on a ramble, but, curiously enough, 

 he took little interest in the shooting, and was no hand at re- 

 trieving. I had at last to give him up in despair. In a planta- 

 tion enclosed by a wooden stockade to keep out wild beasts, I 

 met the Commander of the gunboat. He had knocked down a 



