THE BIEDS OF MONGOLIA ETC. 279 



wooded districts near brooks or rivers. It avoids the habitations of man, 

 and is a true forest bird. Here it can be seen for w^hole days, searching in 

 the bushes for berries, on which it principally feeds during the summer. Its 

 note resembles somewhat the following words — " lag^ jin^ jin, jin '' — repeated 

 several times in succession. The young birds especially are very noisy. 



It is abundant in Ussuri country and on the coasts of the Japanese Sea, 

 where it is usually seen in the thick bushes, on the shores and islands of the 

 rivers. 



It is very remarkable that, whenever we met with these birds, I found 

 some specimens of Gecinus canus in their company, which followed the 

 Magpies everywhere. 



I took a nest of the present species in June, at Lefa, and was greatly 

 surprised to find it constructed in a very narrow hollow of a tree, where 

 the bird could not sit on the eggs otherwise than with, its tail erect. The 

 eggs (eight in number) were strongly incubated ; and the female was sitting 

 on them at the time of my finding the nest. Probably the construction of 

 the nest in a hollow tree was only a singular case, as, some time afterwards, 

 1 found another nest (with young) in the branches of a willow. Both nests 

 were thickly lined with the hair of the reindeer, which, according to the 

 statements of the natives, these birds sometimes pick out from the back of 

 the animal^. 



^ [With this translation it would be useful to read ^' Travels in China/^ by Pere Armand 

 David, 'Nouvelles Archives du Museum d'Histoire Naturelle de Paris.' Cf. Mr. P. L. Sclater's 

 article in ' Ibis/ 1874, 3rd ser. vol. iv. p. 167; also 'Ibis' notice of third Journey, 4th ser. vol. i. 

 no. 1, Jan. 1877, p. 117. — Editor of O. M.] 



[To BE CONTINUED.] 



