38 
Mr. J. D. D. La Touche on the 
123. Emberiza rutila Pall. 
We have several adult and immature examples of this 
Bunting from Kuatun shot in spring and autumn. I shot 
on the 3rd May one of three birds that rose out of a 
patch of swampy grass in a bamboo-grove in the valley of 
Upper Kuatun. On the lltli May a very pale specimen was 
shot close to the village. In this bird the upper parts have 
faded so much that only the crown remains dark-coloured, 
this being of a dull reddish brown. The occiput, hind 
neck, and interscapular region are very pale pinkish, glossed 
and (between the shoulders) tipped with lemon-yellow. The 
rest of the upper parts are very pale reddish. The quills are 
very pale pinkish brown; the outer webs of the first live 
primaries whitish, edged with lemon-yellow; the innermost 
secondaries whitish. The upper wing-coverts pearly pink, 
with pale brown and yellowish edges and two pale bars 
across the wings. The rectrices have also faded to pale 
pinkish brown and white. The chin is dull yellowish white, 
and the rest of the underparts is yellow, with tinges of reddish 
on the breast, a few brown streaks on the flanks, and paling 
on the under tail-coverts to yellowish white. This bird is a 
female, but the plumage resembles rather that of the male of 
this species, especially on the breast, where there is still a 
single red feather. The stomach contained a caterpillar. 
-+T24. Melophus melanicterus (Gm.). 
This bird appears to be a common resident species all over 
the Fohkien hills. At Kuatun it nests in the tea-plantations. 
Our men took a nest with two eggs on the 17th May, 1897. 
One of these eggs is an almost perfect oval and measures 
0*83 x 0*63 inch. It is greenish white, heavily marked all 
over with brown and reddish-grey spots, blotches, and short 
streaks. The grey markings and a few of the surface-spots 
coalesce on the broad end into large blotches and form a 
rough but well-marked cap. 
On the 13th May, 1898, I sent Chunkai to take a nest 
that had been found for us near the village. This nest 
was placed under a tea-bush on an extremely steep slope. 
