THE BIRDS OF MONGOLIA ETC. 203 



of dry grass, roots, and small twiojs, without any lining whatever, and placed 

 in a thick bush not far from the ground. In the three nests found by us 

 there were three young birds or three eggs. The latter are of an elongated 

 oval shape and of a bluish-green colour;^ long diameter 0"-99-l^'-l, short 

 diameter 0"-73-0''-75. It commences to breed very early; for in two nests, 

 taken in Kan-su on the 16th and 19th of May, we found young ones. This 

 is the more remarkable, as the greater number of Kan-su birds breed late on 

 account of the frequent frosts during the spring. The young keep for some 

 time with the old birds. 



In the vicinity of the town of Dolon-nor and about the lake of the same 

 name P. davidi does not occur ; so that the S.E. portion of MongoHa 

 probably forms its northern boundary. 



117. Trochalopteron ellioti, J. Verr. 



In the Kan-su mountains only did we find this species ; in its habits, 

 mode of life, and voice it exactly resembles the preceding one, inhabiting 

 similar localities. It usually keeps in small flocks, and is always climbing 

 about in the thickest bushes ; so that from a distance it might easily be 

 mistaken for a squirrel. Its song is similar to that of the preceding species, 

 only somewhat longer ; and when frightened it utters a note something like 

 "priss, priss, priss,'' In summer it principally feeds on berries, and is par- 

 ticularly fond of w^oodbine, w^hich is very abundant in Kan-su ; it sometimes 

 eats so many of these berries, that when we shot specimens the blue juice of 

 them would exude from the crop and spoil the whole skin. 



The nest is situated in the branches of a bush, usually the berberry, 

 about six or seven feet from the ground. It is a large structure (three 

 quarters of a foot in diameter) of bass and thin bark of the birch ; the 

 interior nest-cup, measuring three inches in diameter, is lined with fine roots 

 of grass. The eggs are four in number and of the same bluish-green colour 

 as the eggs of the preceding species, but are covered at the large end witli 



