on the Birds of South-Easteni China. 57 



BURNESIA SONITANS. 



This Wreu-Warbler is a common resident in both the 

 Kwang Provinces ; creeping about in the undergrowth and 

 taking short flights from bush to bush, it makes a slight 

 snapping noise. It breeds from May until August, and it is 

 possible that as many as three broods are brought up in the 

 year. The earliest date for fresh eggs was May, and the 

 latest August 2nd. 



The rapidity with which a brood can be hatched is well 

 illustrated by the following : — 



On May 15th an incomplete nest of this bird was found ; 

 this on June 1st contained two infertile eggs and three 

 young, so that, at the outside, incubation does not take 

 longer than about eleven days. The nest is placed in a 

 clump of small bamboos, a few feet from the ground. One, 

 liowever, was found built on the top of a new, but incomplete, 

 nest of Prinia inornata, among reeds and right out in the 

 shallows of the river, an unusual situation; it was copiously 

 relined wath dry grass, which extended above the hole, in 

 contradistinction to what obtains in the case of Prima. 



The nests fall into two common types : botli are bottle- 

 shaped with the entrance-hole near the top, about six inches 

 high and three wide ; but one is built of coarse grass both 

 inside and out, and the other is of flowering grass-heads and 

 lined witli the same. One nest was found which was made 

 outside of skeleton leaves, a little moss bound together with 

 cobwebs, and lined with fine grass-stalks. 



The earlier clutches contain four or five eggs, but in the 

 later ones three form a full complement. 



Eggs are bright reddish chestnut, and measure from •62 

 to '54 in length, and in width from "48 to '43, and they 

 average '59 X 45. One will be figured on Plate V. fig. 8 

 of the April number. 



SUTORIA SUTORIA. 



The Tailor-bird is one of the commonest residents, both 

 on the coast and up the river, and its loud cry of '• chink. 



