HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT, 1954

A record of particular interest was the occurrence of the Common Dolphin (Delphinus delphis), an adult specimen of which was captured offshore at Cha Kuo Ling in December, 1954 and identified at the University of Hong Kong. This is believed to be the first record of the species within Hong Kong territorial waters.

The construction, in the Botanic Gardens, of three spacious enclosures for the exhibition of wild mammals has proved a success and has attracted many visitors. It is intended to use the enclosures for the display of certain rarely-seen species of indigenous mammals. Specimens so far exhibited include Rhesus Monkeys, Masked Civets, and a Chinese Leopard-cat.

Birds

There is much to interest the bird-lover and ornithologist in the Colony of Hong Kong. Appro- ximately two hundred species of birds have been identified, and may be grouped into four categories, namely: (1) Residents, (2) Winter Visitors, (3) Summer Visitors, and (4) Passage Migrants. There is, there- fore, always variety and the possibility of observing unrecorded species. The families of birds on record for the Colony include the crow, babblers, bulbuls, thrushes, redstarts, flycatchers, minivets, drongos, warblers, starlings, weavers, finches, buntings, swallows, wagtails, cuckoos, kingfishers, owls, falcons, pigeons, rails, gulls, terns, plovers, sandpipers, herons, ducks and grebes, to mention only those represented by several species.

In 1954 the following species were recorded: Pallas's Reed-Warbler, North China Grass-Warbler, Middendorff's Grasshopper-Warbler, Chinese Pipit,

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