on the Birds of South-Easteni China. 29 



When young are present, on the contrary, it may be very 

 bold, swearing and scolding and coming so close that it 

 could easily be struck with the hand. 



The eggs are usually five in number, and have been 

 described by Mr. La Touche, but two varieties require to 

 be mentioned : one of these has the usual greenish-yellow 

 ground thickly speckled all over with closely-set dark green 

 spots of small size ; the other has the specks distributed in 

 the same fashion, but they are of a rusty-red colour, so that 

 the general appearance of the specimen is rather like that 

 of certain eggs of Merula merula. 



Of all the Hong Kong birds, the Blue Magpie possesses 

 the greatest variety of notes ; these range from a tlute-like 

 whistle to harsh guttural duckings, and at times almost 

 amount to a song, being continued with various modnlations 

 for as much as five or ten minutes. 



The bird is very noisy all through the year, though 

 perhaps a little less so in iMay and June, when the breeding- 

 season is at its greatest period of activity. 



The earliest date at which eggs were found at Hong Kong 

 was April 10th ; in this case the eggs were well incubated. 



Eggs vary in length from l-,22 to I'Oi, and in breadth 

 from "87 to '81 ; they average 1*16 X "83. An example will 

 be figured on Plate V. fig. 17 of the April number. 



Dendrocitta sinensis. 



The Chinese Hill-Magpie was only met with on one 

 occasion, on November 20th, 1900, when a specimen was 

 obtained at Shek-Wan opposite to Macao, just outside the 

 British territory of Kowloon. 



Garrulus sinensis. 



The Chinese Jay is not uncommon in the virgin forest at 

 Howlik, which it visits at the period of spring migration ; 

 Mr. J. C. Kershaw obtained it at Macao, where it is rare. 



Oriolus diffusus. 



The Indian Oriole is a common summer visitor to the 

 Delta country and to the West Kiver^ but was not seen on 

 the island of Hong Konsr. 



