on the Birds of South- East em China. 73 



They are usually placed at the end of a branch and high 

 up; the earlier ones are made oE strips of very fine bark or 

 fibre, matted together with cobwebs, but those built later 

 on are often composed of the cotton of the bombax tree, and 

 being white in colour are fairly easy to see. 



The nest is a pear-shaped structure, about four inches in 

 depth, with an entrance-hole about halfway down one side, 

 which is seven-eighths of an inch in diameter and wrapped 

 round with cobwebs. Only one egg was obtained; the nests 

 usually contained young. 



On June 17th a female of this species was seen building a 

 nest, and she apparently did so unaided by the male. She 

 was carrying little pieces of fibre to the nest, and so quickly 

 did she insert each portion that it looked exactly as if she 

 Avere carrying insects to feed her young ones with. 



DiC.EUM IXORNATUM. 



This Flovverpecker, the smallest bird in south-eastern 

 China, is a fairly common resident at Tarn Chau and near 

 Howlik, but does not occur on the coast. 



These birds have very loud voices and their notes at once 

 call attention to them, although from their habit of hunting 

 round the tops of the highest trees and their small size they 

 are most diihcult to see. 



Probably this species breeds in April, judging by the 

 highly developed testes of the males in that month. All 

 endeavours to discover the nest failed. 



Myzanthe ignipectus. 



Dicceum ignipectus (Hodgs.) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. x. p. 41. 



On February 8th a male of this species with highly 

 developed testes was obtained in the Garden of the British 

 Yamen in the centre of Canton City. There was another 

 bird with it, which may have been its mate. 



This little bird has a note resembling that of Dicceum 

 cruentatum, but it also possesses an additional little trill. 

 In other habits this species resembles Dicceum. 



Two pairs of these birds tvere breeding at a j)Iace near 



