observed in the Vicinity of Wei Hai Wei . 661 
Unfortunately, the writer never arrived in Wei Hai Wei 
earlier than the last week in May nor remained there later 
than the middle of October, so that personal observations on 
the winter visitors are perforce omitted. 
In the summer months the climate of Wei Hai Wei is 
cool, compared to places immediately north and south of it, 
but the winter is very severe for the latitude. When it is 
borne in mind that floating sea-ice is not unknown at 
Wei Hai Wei, and that its parallel of latitude in Europe 
crosses the south of Spain, it is obvious that the winter 
visitors must be of a more arctic type in Shantung than in 
the Iberian Peninsula. 
On the question of local races and subspecies little will be 
found in these notes. That subspecies trinominally raised 
to specific rank exist in North-Eastern Asia is bewilderingly 
evident at the present time. The determination of such 
races appears to require an acuteness of vision, and parti¬ 
cularly of colour-vision, such as is found in but few, and to 
which the writer can lay no claim. 
The arrangement followed is in the main that of Dresser’s 
‘ Manual of Palsearctic Birds/ It is, of course, to be 
understood that this small contribution to the ornithology 
of North-East China in no sense sets forth a list of the 
birds of Wei Hai Wei. It is impossible to think of 
ornithology in connection with the Shantung Peninsula 
without calling to mind that Swinhoe, that great pioneer in 
Chinese zoology, spent the last months of his well-filled 
career in the country at Chefoo, only forty odd miles from 
Wei Hai Wei. Sent there to try and recover failing health, 
he nevertheless found time and energy sufficient to make 
the many interesting notes and observations recorded in 
'The Ibis 5 of 1874-75, to which reference is made, on 
occasion, in this short article. 
It has been thought desirable to give measurements of 
the eggs mentioned in these notes, as such particulars appear 
to have an interest for some ornithologists, and, as the 
notes are in English, the measurements are in inches and 
decimal parts of an inch. 
SER. IX.-VOL. V. 2 Y 
