Birds. 8749 



one another, and in April construct their nests in the shape of an oval 

 cup, formed of fine twigs and grasses, and lined with finer dried grass 

 and fibres. These they build on the waving branches of the bamboo, 

 high up, so that it rests on the curving top, and sways with the tree 

 to and fro to the lightest breeze. They are, however, firmly bound to 

 their places; and I have often watched the female sitting quietly on 

 the nest with only her long tail visible, while with each gust the tree- 

 top nearly swept the ground. They lay from three to five eggs, white, 

 with a few purplish red specks, and usually have three broods in the 

 year. During the season of incubation they become regular little 

 tyrants, chasing all larger birds away from the locality. They seem 

 at this time to have a particular aversion to kites, crows and magpies, 

 all of which they pursue to a considerable distance, repeatedly striking 

 at them with claws and bill, until the enemy is too far to be feared. 

 Throughout the plains and lower hills of Formosa these birds abound, 

 having a special partiality for bamboo-groves ; but in China they are 

 somewhat locally distributed. At Foochow, in the valley in particular, 

 you find only a smaller gray species, but about the hilly ranges round 

 this bird again occurs. 



29. Chaptia brauniana, Swinhoe. 



30. Lanius schach (Gm.), var. formosae. I have traced our species 

 from Canton to the banks of the Yangtze on the main, and within this 

 area it is everywhere a common resident species. It has never been 

 recorded from North China, nor yet from Japan ; but throughout For- 

 mosa it is quite as abundant as in China. It is noticeable for its 

 loud, screaming note ; but when quietly perched on the bough of 

 some tree, I have heard it sing, its song being a strange mixture of 

 harsh discordant notes with others soft and melodious. When in a 

 playful mood it can mimic with great success the wail of the kite, or 

 the bark of a dog, and the cries of many other animals. It loves to 

 perch on prominent places. It preys on mice and small birds, but 

 more frequently on grasshoppers, cockroaches and dragon-flies. Its 

 nest is usually placed in the centre of a bush, six or seven feet from 

 the ground, formed of flexible twigs, and lined with hair or wool, fine 

 grass and fibres. The eggs vary from five to seven, and are yellowish 

 gray, spotted with yellowish brown and light gray, chiefly at the 

 larger end. I have often taken a nest of this bird in which all the 

 eggs were of a clear pinkish white ground-colour and spotted as 

 usual ; but I have never seen them girdled with a brown ring, as is 

 the case with some of those of L. collurio, L. In this large butcher- 

 bird we have an apparent confirmation of the modern theory of 



