1870. } MR. R. SWINHOE ON CHINESE ZOOLOGY. 443 
the trees, I could just distinguish the outline of a large smooth- 
headed owl on a bare branch against the sky. I bowled him 
over, and found him to be a Syrnium nivicolum, Hodgs., again—the 
species I had got here on my former visit. The other birds pro- 
cured were a Green Woodpecker (Picus canus), a Pied Wood- 
pecker (Picus mandarinus), a Titlark (Anthus agilis), which was 
common about the trees, and a couple of Nuthatches (Sita villosa, 
Verr.). 
The night of the 19th we passed in a one-roomed cottage, digni- 
fied by the name of inn, near Yunglo’s tomb. It was like the stall 
of the old cobbler, ‘‘ which served him for kitchen, for parlour, for 
all.’ I will say nothing of the horrors of the night, or of our per- 
sonal appearance in the morning. What I lamented was the black- 
ened state of my specimens from the constant fumigation they were 
subjected to. Onrising we were saluted by the notes of a Picus 
scintilliceps, mihi, from a neighbouring tree. We had heard talk 
of a forest existing over the mountains, and we got a guide to lead 
us to it. Unfortunately the term for forest in Chinese means any 
thing from a clump of trees to a large expanse of wood ; so that after 
clambering about the rocks and wading to our necks in damp grass 
for some hours, our guide brought us to a standstill at a group of 
firs, and told us that was the largest forest on these hills. We re- 
traced our steps in disgust, but not till we had renewed our ac- 
quaintance with Rhopophilus pekinensis (mihi). It was whisking 
about its long tail on the tops of bushes, uttering a loud whistle. 
Its eyelid was madder-red, its iris washed with yellow ; upper man- 
dible light brown, lower yellowish white ; legs brownish flesh-colour 
tinged with yellow. 
From the Ming tombs to the town of Nankow, at the gate of 
the mountain-pass which leads through the inner portion of the 
Great Wall, there was a good road for the first six miles ; the re- 
maining six were fearfully stony and rocky, and the jolting of the 
cart endangered one’s bones. A gentleman from California put up 
at our inn, and we spent an instructive evening together. 
From Nankow, the gate that opens into the pass, to Shato, 
beyond the gate at the top of the pass, is fifteen miles ; but the road 
is blocked with stones and lumps of rock, and our carts had to be 
unpacked and helped through with extra animals and men, while 
our goods were transported on donkeys. My two companions and 
I walked and rode on horseback. A male Sparrow-hawk (Accipiter 
nisus), with clear yellow irides and long yellow toes, was all we 
bagged; but we were delighted by witnessing the stoop of an Eagle. 
He was flying slowly across at a height over the deep gully through 
which we were travelling, when suddenly, like a stone, down he 
came and, shooting obliquely, struck a bank within fifty yards of us 
behind a cottage. He seized a Leveret ; but the little creature slipped 
away from him, and escaped to the ditch below. We were so struck 
by the sight that we did not think of seizing our guns till the bird 
was out of reach. The wild rocky hills of the gorge draw closer as 
we approach the upper wall, that crosses the pass. Another flock 
