184 Lieut. R. E. Vauglian and StafF-Surg, K. H. Jones 



advent of the breeding-season in April its numbers are greatly 

 swollen by individuals arriving from the south. 



A fairly complete account of the nidification of this species 

 is given by one of the writers in 'The Ibis ^ for 1908 (on 

 page 455), and little can be added to it. 



Apparently the Black-headed Kingfisher does not kill 

 reptiles, at least it has not been observed to do so, but 

 during the nesting-season it supplements its usual crab diet 

 by abundant insects, principally beetles. 



This species ranges north to Corea and south to India and 

 the Malayan Islands, but it is always a scarce bird; in Hong 

 Kong, however, during the nesting-season it is rather more 

 common than the other representative of the genus and one 

 of the most conspicuous birds in the island. Possibly the 

 partial protection from the Chinese feather-hunters afforded 

 it at Hong Kong has assisted to the increase of its numbers 

 there. 



This species sits closely, and the female is very frequently 

 captured in the nesting-hole. 



The eggs vary in length from r23 to 1"11, and in breadth 

 from 109 to 1*01, whilst a large number of eggs average 

 1-18 X 1-04. 



Dendrocopus cabanisi. 



This Woodpecker is sparingly distributed, especially near 

 the coast, wherever there is a sufficiency of dead timber of 

 a suitable size. Its call is a burr and a rattle, like that of 

 the European Great Spotted Woodpecker. 



On February 25 a pair was heard tapping near Wang Mun, 

 and on June 5 near Samshui a pair finished excavating a 

 hole in a fir-tree which had been used before, as it contained 

 about a dozen holes altogether. However, the tree was blown 

 down and so no eggs were obtained, although some frag- 

 ments of white egg-shell shewed that the birds had probably 

 bred there. 



IyNX TORQUILLA. 



Wrynecks occur in small numbers during the winter 

 months, and some are observed also on the autumn and 

 spring migrations in the months of November and April. 



