the Birds of Chinkiang. 621 



I have obtained eggs from June 6 to July 16. The men 

 whom I employed in seai-ching for nests told me that there 

 were two broods in the season. A series of twenty-seven 

 eggs taken at Chinkiang shews that the ground-colour varies 

 from pale to deep blush pink. The shape varies from broad 

 ovate to long pointed ovate, one specimen is of a somewhat 

 cylindrical oval. They average ri8x0'85" ; the longest is 

 1-30x0-85", the shortest are 1-10x0-85". The broadest 

 diameter is 091" and the narrowest 0'80". 



The nests have been described by Rickett and myself. 

 A great many of those taken at Chinkiang were chiefly made 

 of reed-flower tops and grass-down. Although most of those 

 which I saw there were built on tall trees at a considerable 

 height, at least three were placed on small trees and were 

 some fifteen feet or less from the ground. 



48. ACRIDOTHERES CRISTATELLUS (L.). 



Styan, Ibis, 1891, p. 357; La Touche & Rickett, Ibis, 

 1905, p. 40. 

 Resident and abundant. I have seen cages full of young 

 birds hawked about the Concession in June and later in the 

 summer. There are probably two broods in the season. 

 Four eggs taken from a hole in the rotten branch of a 

 medium-sized willow on May 29 were hard-set. The nest- 

 hole was lined with chicken's feathers, straws, &c. 



49. Spodiopsar cineraceus (Temm.). 

 Styan, Ibis, 1891, p. 357. 



A very abundant winter bird from September onwards. 



50. Sturnia sturnina (Pall.). 

 Styan, Ibis, 1891, p. 357. 



This species passes Chinkiang in May and September. 

 I kept a female caught with bird-lime alive for nearly 

 a year. It became quite tame at once, but was sickly and 

 never throve. 



51. Alseonax latirostris (Raffl.). 

 Styan, Ibis, 1891, p. 348. 



Abundant on passage, appearing about mid-April and 

 remaining throughout May. It returns in September. 



