Page:Twentieth Century Impressions of Hongkong, Shanghai, and other Treaty Ports of China.djvu/150

142 months, when many individuals come down from their breeding-places further to the north, and at such times they have a tendency to congregate in certain selected spots. Perhaps as many as two hundred may be seen in one small clump of trees or on one hilltop. Such a place exists at the eastern end of Stonecutters Island, though the kites are not there so numerous as in some of the places in the New Territory. Milvus melanotis is a resident, and breeds about Hongkong, but not at all commonly, and most of those individuals which remain for the summer months in the Colony are probably immature, and do not nest. Another large brown hawk rarely seen except in the autumn and winter is the common Buzzard (Buteo vulgaris) a slightly smaller bird than the Kite, usually solitary in its habits, and never to be found hunting for garbage. From the Kite it is readily distinguished both by the shorter and more rounded wings and by the shape of the tail, the free margin of which is convex in outline instead of being square or forked, as in the Milvus.

The well-known Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) is not infrequently seen, but it cannot be regarded otherwise than as an occasional winter visitor.

Two other smaller hawks, the common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) and the common Sparrow Hawk (Accipiter misus) are often met with in the winter months, whilst other species occur more rarely.

Of Owls one species, Scops glabripes, a bird about the size of a pigeon, is fairly plentiful in Hongkong, where it is resident, breeding in April and May in the old nests of the Magpie. Strictly nocturnal, it is not often seen, and its note, a gentle "Hoo" repeated at intervals, is usually the only intimation of its presence. Another bird of this family, to be seen occasionally is Bubo maximus. the Eagle Owl, the largest of all the owls, and a great game destroyer. It is hard to suppose that many individuals of this species can find a living on the island. One of the most conspicuous of the summer visitors to Hongkong is the Black Drongo Shrike, or Scissor-tail (Buchanga atra), a brilliantly black bird, with a long black tail, the flukes of which cross one another scissor-fashion, whence its name. This bird arrives about the middle of April, and already has found a mate. Pairs of these birds take up certain localities in the woods, and their territory is not encroached upon by others of their kind. At the nest, which is always slung from the under surface of a bough, at its slenderest extremity, the birds are both noisy and fearless, resenting interference in the most intrepid manner.

The Kingfishers are birds which always attract attention by their very striking colouring. Of the three species of the family which are to be found at Hongkong, all present the brilliant blues for which most of these birds are famous, and two of them are of large size. The two larger kingfishers are the Smyrna Kingfisher (Halcyon Smyrnensis) and the Black-headed Kingfisher (Halcyon pileatus). The former has a bright maroon-coloured head and neck, whilst the latter has the head black and has a white collar. The Smyrna Kingfisher is a resident, and may be seen at all seasons of the year, but the black-headed species spends the winter months on the seashore, repairing to the island in the spring and summer to breed. Both species breed commonly in Hongkong, making their nesting-holes in the perpendicular faces of disintegrated granite to be found in the nullahs, and in localities where a landslip has taken place. There is another kingfisher, a very small bird; indeed, Alcedo Bengalensis is but a miniature of the Kingfisher of English inland waters, but about Hongkong this species obtains its food at least as frequently in salt water as in fresh. It is not a very common bird, but throughout the year it may be seen at times on inland streams, and more frequently on the rocks by the sea-coast. There is no doubt that it sometimes breeds in Hongkong.

There is only one true Crow in Hongkong, but that, the Collared Crow (Corvus torquatus) is a handsome representative of the genus. This crow, which is considerably larger than our English rook, is of a deep, shining black, with a broad, white collar, which widens to a convex bend downwards on the shoulders and breast, a handsome and striking combination of the two colours. This is not a common bird in Hongkong, but a few pairs reside in the neighbourhood, and breed early in the year in such spots as are not too open to molestation. Unlike most Corvidæ this species is in all probability double-brooded in Hongkong. The note is a deep, harsh croak, and once heard is not likely to be mistaken for that of any other bird.

Nearly related to the former is the common Magpie (Pica candata), one of the best known of all the Hongkong resident species. A bird so well known requires no description, but it is of interest to note that, being not only free from persecution but to some extent, in China, considered a bird of good omen, it is tame and confiding to a degree rarely, if ever, to be met with in other countries. The bird breeds commonly in Hongkong, making the usual domed nest so characteristic of the species, and it occasionally lays its eggs as early as the last days of January.

Another conspicuous bird which is a near relation of the Magpie is the Chinese Blue Magpie (Urocissa sinensis), a bluish-coloured bird, with coral red bill and legs, and a most disproportionately long tail. This bird is one of the noisiest resident species in the island, and produces a perfectly amazing variety of sounds, from harsh gutteralguttural [sic] cluckings to beautifully modulated flute-like whistles, amounting at times almost to a song. These birds are great robbers of the eggs of other species, and the appearance of the Blue Magpie in the vicinity of the nests of the Magpie Robin or the Black-headed Bulbul is the signal for an immediate attack on the would-be robber. Urocissa sinensis is a quarrelsome bird, fighting for its right to a feeding ground both with its own kind and with the common Magpie. It breeds in Hongkong from March to July, making a flat nest of the flimsiest description in a tree, and laying from three to five eggs.

There is only one Starling in Hongkong, a prettily coloured bird, grey, white, and deep bluish-black being its predominating colours. This bird, the Chinese Starling (Sturnia sinensis), arrives in April and remains to breed, leaving again in the first half of September. Like the English Starling, it is rather noisy at the nesting place, and very dirty. After those birds which come to Hongkong to breed have departed, small flocks again appear in the winter months, probably from the north. Unlike the English Starling, the Chinese bird obtains most of its food in the tree-tops, where it picks caterpillars and small insects off the leaves.

Nearly allied to the Starling is the common Mynah (Acridotheres cristalellus), a blackish bird with conspicuous white splashes on its wings when flying, and so well known as a favourite cage-bird with the Chinese, who value it for its powers of mimicry and its ability to talk after the fashion of a parrot. In its wild state the bird also mimics others, especially the Francolin and the common Hongkong Shrike. More common in the summer than in the winter, this bird breeds abundantly about Hongkong, sometimes in waterspouts and under the eaves of houses, or in a chimney, but more frequently in cracks in the rocks, or, most often of all, in the disused nesting-hole of one of the larger kingfishers.

The common Shrike of Hongkong (Lanius tchah), which has been mentioned above, is a handsome bird, with a conspicuous chestnut-coloured back and a long tail. It has a loud, discordant voice, which it takes great pleasure in exercising in a series of loud cries from the topmost twigs of whatever tree it chances to settle in. It is a resident, and breeds during April and May.

Another shrike occasionally to be met with is the Dusky Shrike (Lanius fuscatus), a bird slightly smaller than Lanius tchah, from which it is easily distinguished by the general smoky look of its plumage, which entirely lacks the brilliant chestnut tints of the latter. It is also less noisy than Lanius tchah.

The Philippine Red-tailed Shrike (Lanius lucionensis) is a small shrike only to be met with in the autumn and spring, when it is passing from its winter quarters further south to its more northern breeding grounds.

The Chinese Francolin (Francolinus sinensis), often miscalled a Partridge, is the only resident game bird in Hongkong. Shy and skulking, it would be indeed difficult to imagine that so many of these birds exist were it not for their very characteristic cry during the breeding season, a cry which has been rendered "Kuk-kuk-kuich- ka-ká"; but which has also been, not inaptly, compared to the syllables "Hip, hip, hurrah!" This bird breeds on the ground, but its nest is rarely, if ever, found except by the grass cutters. It must breed very late in the year, for young birds barely able to fly are said to have been seen at the beginning of December.

Two species of Quails are to be commonly seen here on the autumn migration—the common Quail (Coturnix communis) and the Burmese Hemipode, or Button Quail (Turnix blandfordi)—both well known to local sportsmen.

Two other game birds, the common Snipe and the Woodcock (Scolopax rusticula) require a passing mention. The former, as is well known, come down from their northern breeding grounds in September and October and return again in May, though a certain number remain in suitable localities throughout the winter; the latter is a rather more erratic cold weather visitor than the Snipe, but a certain number of individuals always occur, although later.

The Sandpipers and Plovers require here to be mentioned, though only one of each family is sufficiently numerous at Hongkong to find a place in an article such as this, viz., the common Sandpiper (Tringoides hypoleucus) and the Kentish Plover (Ægialilis cantiana), both of which are to be met with on the seashore all through the winter months.

There is one common Swallow in Hongkong (Hirundo gutturalis). This differs but slightly from the bird so familiar in Europe, and, like it, is a summer visitor, coming in March, and departing as a rule in August. Swallows are, indeed, to be seen occasionally in September, October, and November, but probably these are birds which have lost their way on the long journey to the south. The Pacific Swift (Cypsclus Pacificus) is a common summer visitor, and probably breeds