24 Lieut. R. E, Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones 



matter not entirely for regret and scarcely to be wondered 

 at ; but that there is variation among the resident birds in 

 an area extending some 500 miles from east to west^ is 

 probable. 



There still remains a great deal to be done in China in 

 the way of field-work, and it must be many years before the 

 life-story of a large number of the birds of that vast region 

 is even approximately well known. 



It is, for instance, very interesting to note the fact that 

 several species of birds which are easily and abundantly 

 observed on their spring migration were never seen on 

 their autumn passage, and that in rarer instances the 

 converse obtained. 



Whether these species travel by different routes on the 

 two passages, or whether all pass at night, without stopping 

 to rest in the area under consideration, was not decided ; 

 tliere were, however^ some slight grounds for the acceptance 

 of the second suggestion. 



In any case, it is extremely unlikely, considering the keen 

 look-out which was kept on migratory movements, and the 

 large amount of time spent in the field, that these birds 

 sim[)ly escaped observation. 



Field-notes made by two Naval Medical Officers, Staff- 

 Surgeons J. P. H. Greenhalgh and C, E. Cortis Stanford, 

 are embodied in this paper ; the latter is a INIember of 

 our Union, and his collection of Chinese bird-skins is in 

 the British Museum, Natural History ; he has rendered 

 much valuable assistance to the writers in the field. 



In conclusion, it only remains for the writers to express 

 their very great indebtedness to Mr. W. II. Ogilvie-Grant 

 and the members of the staff of the Natural History 

 ]\Iuseum, who rendered them every possible assistance in 

 the task of naming and arranging the specimens collected 

 in China. 



The nomenclature, unless otherwise stated, followed in 

 this article is that of the ' British Museum Catalogue of 

 Birds,' and the skins collected are deposited in the Natural 

 Historv IMuseum. 



