Bifds. 



8803 



the woody hills, and nesting in holes of trees. In fact, as regards its 

 habits, it may be called the tree sparrow of Eastern Asia, the true 

 tree sparrow of Europe having there usurped the position of the house 

 sparrow, which does not occur. 



91. Munia acuticauda, Hodgs. As. Res. xix. p. 153, 1836. In For- 

 mosa this is an abundant resident species, being met with in all 

 plantations throughout the low country in small parties. It is a lively 

 little bird, constantly moving about its perch, whisking its pointed 

 tail from side to side, and uttering a rather musical trill-note. It 

 generally prefers selecting a building- site in the neighbourhood of 

 human dwellings, placing its wren-like nest in some bush five or six 

 feet from the ground, often in quite exposed places ; but being such a 

 small, delicate bird, and so gentle and familiar in its habits, it is pro- 

 tected by the Chinese, and looked upon as the harbinger of good. It 

 is known in Amoy as the O-pe-la ; in Formosa as Aw-tsew-pe-la. In 

 its disproportionately large and not very elegant nest it seldom lays 

 more than three eggs, quite white when blown, but when fresh of a 

 pale ochreous-pink. The males and females are similar in plumage ; 

 the young are of a light olive-brown, whitish on the under parts, but 

 always having the white rump-band. This species has been semi- 

 domesticated in Japan, where it breeds, like the canary, in confine- 

 ment, and produces every variety of albinism and melanism. There 

 are several living examples of these varieties at present in the gardens 

 of the Zoological Society of London. 



9*2. M. topela, Swinhoe ; Chinese, Topela. It is often kept in con- 

 finement. When singing the male draws himself up to his full height 

 and stretches out his head, the beak is opened, and the throat shaken ; 

 but only a low murmuring sound is emitted, which is scarcely audible 

 to a person standing close to the bird : it is the most absurd attempt 

 at singing that ever I witnessed ; and yet it draws forth the admira- 

 tion of the females, for while he is so engaged numbers draw round 

 him and bend their heads forward to listen. 



93. Heterornis sinensis. 



94. Sturnus cineraceus, Temm. PI. Col. 563 ; Faun. Japon. pi. 45. 



95. Acridotheres cristatellus, L. 



96. Corvus sinensis, Gould. Unfortunately 1 did not procure a 

 specimen, owing chiefly to the great objections the natives had to 

 shoot them. The Chinese colonists there look upon this bird with a 

 kind of superstitious reverence ; " for," say they, " whenever the 

 savages sally out and kill any of our number, this crow always sets 

 up a sympathetic 'laou-wa' (or wailing cry)." I asked them if the 



