'9^9-] /^'owi South Annam and Cochin China. 401 



but I found a smaller Shan element in its avifauna than its 

 conditions would lead one to expect. Its investigation has, 

 nevertheless, greatly extended the known range of a con- 

 siderable number of species, and besides obtaining many 

 new forms it was a great pleasure to discover the farthest 

 south of such typically holarctic birds as the Cross-bill and 

 Tree-creeper. 



I did not, as I had hoped, meet with a Bullfinch nor with 

 the wonderful Pheasant Rheinardius ocellatus, but I was 

 shown a set of the tail-feathers of the latter, the centre pair 

 seven feet long, which was stated to have come from the 

 mountains behind Nhatrang. 



The rainy season at Dalat is from April to October, and 

 this is also the period of most equable temperature. The 

 dry season lasts from mid-November to mid-April, and 

 though the nights are considerably colder than in summer 

 the days are also hotter. In February three or four degrees 

 of frost are sometimes experienced, and in that month and 

 March the diurnal range of temperature may be between 

 30° and 90° F., whereas in August and September it is 

 between about 50° and 80° F. The winter season is much 

 the pleasanter time for a visit. 



It was not originally my intention to do any collecting in 

 Cochin-China, but an opportunity arose after returning to 

 Saigon, as, owing to changes in steamer movements, we were 

 delayed there for a fortnight. When travelling to Annam 

 I had noted an area of high green forest surrounding the 

 station of Trang Bom, some thirty-two miles from Saigon 

 by rail and twelve east of Bienhoa on the Donnai River. 

 Collecting was carried on here from 30 May to 6 June. 

 The forest seemed to cover at most a few square miles of 

 flat land : it consisted of high trees — perhaps the highest 

 met with on the trip — and fairly dense undergrowth, but 

 work was made easy by the existence of many straight rides 

 which had been cut through it. 



The avifauna was very different from that of Tour Cham : 

 fifty-one species were obtained, the most interesting being 



