17 Lieut. K. E.Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones 



and crammed into bamboo-cages, and at the end of the day 

 they are taken to the river and drowned. 



llice-birds are prized by Europeans and Chinese alike, 

 aiid not only do the rich natives at Canton consume large 

 quantities, but many are tinned and exported to Singapore 

 and to America for the benefit of Celestial exiles. 



As a matter of fact, any small yellowish bird is sold as a 

 Rice-bird by the Chinese, and one itinerant merchant in 

 Macao was seen with two hundred Motacilla melanope to 

 dispose of for culinary purposes. 



Emberiza rutila. 



The Chestnut Bunting is an irregular winter visitor, but 

 one was obtained at Shia Po on January 6, creeping in long 

 grass. 



On April 19 large numbers of these birds were found in 

 the mulberry-canes of the Delta, and remained plentiful 

 until the end of the month. Such an incursion was quite 

 unusual however, and due perhaps to the floods which 

 occurred about that time. In the autumn of 1907 these 

 birds did not migrate south via the river. 



Emberiza spodocephala. 



The Black -faced Bunting is a common winter visitor, 

 arriving about October 19, and leaving again in the latter 

 part of April and early in May. It frequents paddy-fields 

 in the autumn and mulberry-canes in the spring, in company 

 with Emberiza jncata. 



Melophus melanicteuus. 



This handsome Bunting is resident at Kowloon and on 

 the coast of Kwang Tung generally, and in the winter is 

 gregarious and goes about in considerable flocks. At the 

 end of March and until the end of April these are in 

 process of breaking up and mating is taking place. 



The bird builds its nest either on the ground or in a cleft 

 in a rock, and eggs may be found in April, May, and June. 

 The nests are very difiicult to find, and the birds require a 

 lot of watching before their secret is revealed. Whilst the 



