Weihaiwei, Dee, 27-—Watking along the road today on my way, to the hills, T made a pleasing discovery "which enables" me. to declare that Emberiza cloldes castanciceps, in. other words my old friend "Pitsiwee," the Meadow Bunting, is an_all-the-year-retind resident. in this neighbourhood: the question of its "resid-fence" here is usually marked with a query-mark by bird observers as It has never' been definitely established that it does "more than appear as a spring and. autumn migrant, and some extent nest here inthe summer, But there was "pitsiwee" sitting. up in an seacia free. telling" me ever so. solemnly "that "Pilsiwee's better agains... thus prove ing to me that the bright winter weather of Weihaiwei suits the Bunting family just a5 well as it suils me, During this. same walk 1 made two further discoveries not with= out interest, T have recently made remarks about the Hill Partridges (or "'Chukor) and have noted that while they Keep stridly to the highest parts of the hills during the summer, they are not visible, in winter as they "hide among the rocks in the deepest valleys...and Mhat they never use the lower slopes. of the hills just above the houses: but. this. morning Thad' to correct that impression'..for'shorly fatter the sun was up T'walked tight into covey of" Chiukor sunning themselves on. the southern slopes in the foothills...an interesting sidelight on. the' winter haps of these very shy birds which strictly avoid the haunts of man at all other times of the year. Finally, Thad Something in the nature of a jar when, at the top of the highest hill T walked up, 1 saw a very healthy-looking hare which should by all the rules have been down below stealing the last bits of green in my garden: how such fanimat can subsist in the bleak hiltstops 1 do not. know...untess there Is some nourishment to be obtained from the few remaining Scotch firs, which in their turn seem to ave the national gift of living on next to nothing.
Weihaiwei, Dec, 29,—Walking close to the seashore and trying to sort out the sea birds hich are really not very numerous here now that the fshing-boats have finished their main season). I got another excellent. view. ofa (Cormorant which was standing on a rock drying his outstretched. wings. In. that magnificent altitude which always reminds me of aechureh Teetern. T tried to make up my. mind what this bird exactly was; and having 0 books of reference to consult, T came (0. the conclusion that it must be that particular type for Cormorant known ax a Shag, because of fis size and the brilliant green" sheen of its plumage. And' this led mo into a" train of thought as to how unfairly this really grand bird has been treated by those responsible for favinn "nomenclature. Could anyone think, of fan uglier name than "Shag",...a word redolent of a very cheap and most evil-smelling tobacco! JAnd on' top of this its solentine name is the ugliest one know: all Cormorants (of which the 'Shag. is one) are known as Phalacrocoracidae, fand the bird T was looking at is, think, labelled fs. Phalacrocorax' pelagieus: but. the' nomen= floters must have weakened at some time and to make up for a bad start, gave it the resounding name. (with a Hittle compliment finrown in) "of Resplendent Shag. which really sounds much better. To. be "called a Cormorant Is not so bad, for that is really a Gomewhat Incorrect) combination of Corvus land mare, meaning @ sea-crow, but I can see Ino excuse for "shag" unless itis a corruption of the or pouch in which. the bird. rofcelves its catch....for the English word, shag (or shaggy) means rough and hairy, which the Jeormorant Is not. And-as 1 thought thus, this Beautiful bird" slid" away like. green-black shadow over the surface of the deep blue sea.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.