THE PEECHING BIEDS. 139 



Both of these birds occur in large flocks throughout the winter, 

 going northward in the spring. Other species, which have been noticed 

 in North China are the pale ouzel (M. pallida), the dusky ouzel (M. 

 fuscata), the grey back ouzel (M. hortulorum), and the grey-headed 

 ouzel (M . obscura). White's thrush (Oreocincla varia) and the Siberian 

 ground-thrush (Geo&incla sibirica) also occur, but none of these are 

 common. 



In the loess gullies and foothills of Shansi and elsewhere the 

 blue rock-thrush (Monticola solitarius) occurs. This bird has a blue head, 

 neck and back, dark grey wings and tail, with bright chestnut breast, 

 and belly. 



A small rock-thmsh, (M. gularis) is also to be found in Chihli, 

 though I have never come across it in Shansi and westward. It has a 

 brilliant blue head and nape, chestnut breast, belly, rump and low< j ,r 

 back and black upper back and wings. Neither of these birds are 

 common. 



In the more arid parts of the northern provinces, and especially in 

 the Ordos Desert, the wheatear (Saxicola isabellina) occurs in great 

 numbers. It is a pretty bird with white breast and lower back, black 

 wings and tail, 'having a black band like the shrikes through the eye. 

 It nests in holes in the ground, often using still tenanted burrows of 

 the ground squirrel. 



Another species (S. mono), has the top of the head and neck of a 

 dirty white, the lower parts white, tinged with reddish on the breast 

 and fuliginous brown on the flanks, the upper and lower tail coverts 

 white and the wings, lower tail, and upper back black. S. oenanthe, a 

 third species also occurs, but the last two are not at all common. 



The peculiar birds known as fork-tails come next in our list. Thft 

 common North China species is Henicurus sinensis. Further south 

 several other species occur. These birds keep to watery places, and 

 may be found plentifully in the ravine bottoms in the Central Shensi 

 loess country. Our species is a large bird with a long, widely-forked 

 black tail. The rest of the body is pied. Thte -legs are long, and of a 

 pink colour. 



Next to this genus comes the redstarts, two species of which are 

 found. These are the common redstart (RuticiUa aurorca) and the 

 black redstart (R. rufi.ventris.) The former has a pretty grey head and 

 black body and wings, the latter having a conspicuous white patch on 

 each, wlhiile the lower breast, rump and tail are of a bright chestnut - 

 red colour. As it is continually bobbing its tail and flirting its wings, 

 the name redstart is very suitable. 



