the Birds of Chinkiang. 439 



round about the villages and also in the reed-beds. The nests 

 which I have seen in the former were all placed on bamboos 

 at a considerable height from the ground — twelve feet at least. 

 Two half-torn-down and deserted nests found on June 10 in 

 a patch of reeds were about five feet from the ground : one 

 contained three slightly incubated eggs, the other was 

 empty. Fresh eggs were brought to me on June 21, July 11 

 and July 13, so that no doubt two broods are reared here. 

 The Chinkiang nests which I have seen resemble those taken 

 at Foochow, but ten eggs taken at Chinkiang are much larger 

 than Foochow eggs. They average l*14x0"86". The 

 longest is 1*20 x 0*86", the shortest 1*07 x 0-85". 



17. Zosterops simplex Swinhoe. 



Styan, Ibis, 1891 , p. 352 ; La Touche, Ibis, 1899, p. 431 ; 

 La Touche & Uickett, Ibis, 1905, p. 31. 

 Common in summer. Arrives in the latter half of April, 

 and remains until the end of September. I have seen full- 

 fledged young being hawked about on May 21. This bird is 

 extremely common in the gardens during September. 



18. Pycnonotus sinensis (Gm.). 



Styan, Ibis, 1891, p. 315 ; La Touche & Uickett, Ibis, 

 1905, p. 31. 



Very abundant. Eggs may be obtained up to August 17, 

 and I have seen a nest with unfledged young on September 4. 

 Four eggs obtained from natives on June 17 and two on 

 July 17 are very different from the rest of my series. Tlie 

 ground-colour is pink, and they have heavy blotches, chiefly 

 on the larger half of the egg, of a dark claret-colour and 

 violet-grey over pale grey underlying blotches. They 

 average 91 x 0-G95", the largest being 0*95 x 0-72", and 

 the smallest 0*88 x 0'68". The nests were normal, so that 

 I have no hesitation in referring them to this common 

 species. 



This Bulbul has, at Chinkiang during the breeding- 

 season, a note which I have not heard it utter in the south. 

 It is a very favourite cage-bird with the Chinkiang natives. 



