wander in rich meadow, we may mark the little emerald-hued kingfisher 

 {Alcedo ispida) ; or there, watching for his prey from some branch over the 

 glassy pool, the larger long-tailed variety {Halcyon pileatus), easily distinguishable 

 by his black head and purple back. 



The handsome hoopoe {Upupa epops)^ with its golden crown, pied wings 

 and long curved bill, abounds in Shansi. It is found in the other provinces, 

 but is less common. Its peculiarly characteristic call, ** ho poo poo," uttered 

 at short intervals with three nods of the head, announces to the worthy 

 celestial the approach of spring, but it is not till the voice of the cuckoo 

 (Cuculus canorus) resounds o'er hill and dale that he commences to sow his 

 seeds. The Chinese call the cuckoo " chung-ku " (pronounced * joong goo '), 

 which means "plant (your) millet." These syllables, they aver, form the 

 notes of the bird's call, which is intended for a direct message to the husband- 

 man. Almost simultaneously with the cuckoo comes the wryneck {lynx 

 torquilla), but it is a comparatively rare bird, keeping away from the beaten 

 tracks of man. 



Three or four species of woodpecker are found in the country, and of these 

 the great spotted woodpecker {Dendrocopus major) is decidedly the most 

 common. The green woodpecker {Gecinus canus) comes next, while the little 

 spotted woodpecker {lyngipicus doerriessi) may also be seen from time to time. 



A bird which would appear to be the great black woodpecker {FHcus martius) 

 was described to me by some of the mountain people of Shansi, but it must 

 be very rare indeed. 



108 



