446 Mr. J. D. D. La Touche— Field-Notes on 



Cuckoos' eggs were, I have no doubt, those of the Common 

 Cuckoo. 



The eggs of the Fantail-Warbler procured at Chinkiang 

 are white or bluish white, speckled, spotted, or blotched with 

 light or dark brownish red (madder-brown) and reddish 

 violet or reddish grey, the latter colour being either in the 

 form of dark surface-marks or well-defined shell-spots. Of 

 the nineteen clutches in my collection, eight are more or 

 less finely speckled, eight are spotted or both spotted and 

 speckled, while in the three others the spots are so large as 

 to become blotches. In many cases the markings are chiefly 

 disposed about the larger end of the egg. The blotched 

 specimens have a ring of blotches round the large end, the 

 rest of the shell being clear of marks save for a few spots or 

 specks. My 86 eggs average O60 x 0*47", the largest being 

 0-65 x 0-48" and the smallest 055 x 0-45". 



30. Phylloscopus borealis (Bias.). 

 Styan, Ibis, 1891, p. 339. 



Common throughout May. It is the last of the Willow- 

 Warblers to appear in spring. It passes again in September, 

 but seems to be much less common during the autumn 

 migration. 



This Willow-Warbler, although generally arboreal in its 

 habits, occasionally ventures down to the ground. On 

 May 22, 1902, while strolling about the grounds of the 

 Consulate, I noticed in a tree by the path a small bird, 

 which, as I stood still to watch it, flew down to the bushes 

 and high grass on the side of the walk, and thence to the 

 path itself, where it remained hopping about for a short 

 time, flying up now and then to catch a passing insect. 

 From the path it flew back into the long grass and brush- 

 wood, where it hunted for a considerable time, always 

 keeping near the ground. As I managed to remain within 

 a few yards of the bird, I had a very good view of it 

 and could see that it was not P. coronatus nor P. tenellipes. 

 The colouring was that of P. borealis, and the legs were 

 dark, so that I could refer it to no other species. 



