406 Mr. J. D. de la Touche on the 



tainous region of Taiyang shows itself. The Ketiang (or 

 Keyoug) river flows in at the west end of the bay ; and one 

 of the mouths of the Han or Chao-chow-fu river finds an exit 

 in the north, jnst behind Swatow. A large tidal creek, sepa- 

 rating Kakchioh Island from the mainland, also connects the 

 bay "with the sea on the south. 



During the winter and in migration-time the bay and 

 marshes are filled with birds of all descriptions, and the wild- 

 fowl shooting offers about the best sport of the kind on the 

 China coast. Mangroves {Rhizophora mangle) cover the 

 marshes to a great extent. 



The soil of the plain is sandy and very fertile ; sugar, rice 

 (two crops), wheat, sweet potatoes, pea-nuts {Ai^achis 

 hypogaa), and indigo are the principal crops. The fruits 

 grown are : — oranges (several varieties of mandarins and 

 the so-called ''coolie^' orange), bananas, pineapples, pume- 

 loes, mangoes, custard-apples, lychees, &c. 



The hills in the neighbourhood of Swatow are, as a rule, 

 barren, and shelter very few birds. The Taiyang hills and 

 those further west are well stocked with birds, judging from 

 the collections brought down by my shooting-boy on three 

 occasions. I never had an opportunity of visiting them. 

 The hill-country which borders the river above Chao-chow-fu 

 differs somewhat from the Foochow hill-country, the moun- 

 tains being larger, more rounded in shape, and rather better 

 wooded. Bamboo-groves, or rather forests, occur in the 

 valleys, the bamboos being often of enormous size. The 

 French missionaries have told me that further up the river 

 there are woods of considerable extent. 



Chao-chow-fu, the prefecture of the Swatow district, is 

 about 30 miles north-west of Swatow. I had only one 

 opportunity of going up the Chao-chow-fu river ; and the 

 weather being bad, and my time limited, the result of the 

 expedition was meagre. 



The insect-fauna of N.E. Kwangtung is tropical. Land- 

 shells are rare near Swatow, the hills being formed of granite, 

 as at Foochow ; but freshwater-shells are abundant. 



I collected very few mammals ; but judging from accounts 



