502 RESEARCH IN CHINA. 
Pica pica sericea (GOULD). Chinese Magpie. 
Pica sericea GOULD: Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1845, 2 (Amoy, China). 
In China no bird is as nearly omnipresent as the magpie. From Manchuria and even 
Transbaikalia to Ssi-ch’uan, every village, however small, whether on the plain or in the 
narrow mountain valleys, has its representatives and these remain the year round. The 
Chinese callit ‘‘Si-ch’iau,”’ or ‘‘hopping bird,”’ because of its habit of hopping about farm- 
yards and inns, almost as if it were a domestic fowl. In March, we found them busily 
engaged in building their bulky nests in the large poplar trees among the villages of Shan-sj 
and before the middle of May the young birds had left the nest. 
Coleus dauricus (PaLLas). Daurian Jackdaw. 
Corvus dauricus PALLAS: Reise Russ. Reichs, i, 1776, 694 (Baikal region). 
We saw this jackdaw first at Aga, Transbaikalia, in September. From there onward 
to Shan-tung and southwest as far as the Wei-ho valley, it was a common bird during the 
winter. The species is rather more characteristic of hilly and mountainous regions than of 
the plains, but it is also a common associate of the magpies and crows in the populous 
lowlands. When a large flock is feeding on level ground, the birds in the rear seem con- 
tinually dissatisfied with their situation and fly forward to the front ranks, and thus the 
entire flock gradually progresses. A similar habit is characteristic of the cow-bird (Molo- 
thrus) of the United States. 
Coleus neglectus SCHLEGEL. Japanese Jackdaw. 
Corvus neglectus SCHLEGEL: Bijdr. Dierk. Amsterdam, afl., 8, 1859, Art. Corvus, 16 (Japan). 
The black jackdaw may be seen occasionally in the flocks of C. dauricus, in southern 
Shan-si and the Wei valley. It replaced the latter species entirely in the valley of the Han 
river during May, but it was not very common even there. 
Cyanopica cyana swinhoei Harter’. Swinhoe’s Black-capped Jay. 
Cyano pica cyanus swinhoet HARTERT: Vogel palaarkt. Fauna, Heft 1, 1903, 24 (Kiukiang, China). 
Like the magpie this is a bird of the villages. It is rarely seen in mountainous regions, 
but is commonest on the rich plains of Shen-si and southeastern China. Its stealthy flight 
and especially its soft whining notes, reminded me of the Canada jay (Perisoreus cana- 
densts). 
Urocissa erythrorhyncha (BoDDAERT). Chinese Blue-pie. 
Corvus erythrorhynchus BODDAERT: Table Pl. enl., 1783, 38 (ex Pl. Enl. 622, China). 
This magnificent jay is probably a migratory species. In January only a single indi- 
vidual was seen in the mountains of west Chi-li, but it was fairly common in the Ts’in-lings 
and to the southward, during May. There it prefers wooded ravines at rather low altitudes. 
Its notes are varied and mimetic, and yet they are distinctly corvine in the harsh quality 
of the tones. 
Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax (LINNauUS). Alpine Chough. 
Upupa pyrrhocorax LINNauS: Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 1, 1758, 118 (‘‘Anglie Aigypti maritimis’”’). 
This is a mountain bird par excellence. Whetherin Shan-tung, Chi-li, orin the Ts’in- lings 
it is never seen far from the high cliffs which are its refuge and nesting place. We found it 
especially abundant among the limestone crags of west Shan-tung. At that season (late 
autumn) they combine in small flocks, but in the spring only single pairs are seen. The 
flight of this bird is easier and more buoyant than that of any corvide I have yet seen. 
They spend hours on the wing, swooping and gyrating about the cliffs, apparently for the 
sheer joy of flying. It is also a very noisy bird, with its petulant but rather musical croak 
exultingly uttered as it flies. 
