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NATURAL HISTORY

probably in other such places, and the rarely seen Eastern Chinese Otter. There are three distinct civets, the Large Chinese Civet, the Rasse or Small Indian Civet, and the Masked Palm Civet. A close relative of theirs in the Crab-eating Mongoose, but there appears to be only one on record in the Colony and that was some years ago.

Reeves' Muntjac (Barking Deer) inhabits various hilly and wooded localities. On Hong Kong Island, on account of its shyness and nocturnal ways, this attractive little deer may seem to be much less common than it is, as some keen gardeners who have reason to dislike its feeding habits can testify. In the New Territories, on the other hand, where it is hunted, it has now become very scarce. The Wild Boar, which is hunted both for sport and to prevent destruction to crops, is now rare and may possibly no longer penetrate to many parts of the country where it used to range.

The Chinese Porcupine, the Colony's largest rodent, lives in parts of Hong Kong Island and the New Territories. Lesser mammals include the House Shrew, several species of bats, and among the rodents the Smaller Bandicoot Rat. In spite of its name this is the largest rat to be found in the Colony; it is entirely wild in habits, keeping apart from man's dwellings, and sometimes causing considerable damage to crops. Very little is known of the bats, but there are both insectivorous and frugivorous species.

Cetaceans which may come into or near Hong Kong territorial waters include the Common Rorqual or Finback Whale (only once recorded, during 1955), the Black Finless Porpoise, and the Com- mon Dolphin.

Birds. There is much to interest ornithologists and bird watchers in Hong Kong. Well over three hundred species of birds have been identified in both published and unpublished records, and new records are being added each year. Much more work is needed, however, particularly on their breeding and feeding habits, various other aspects of ecology, and migration. The avifauna of Hong Kong includes both palaearctic and oriental species. Some of the families are those containing the crows, babblers, bulbuls, thrushes, redstarts, flycatchers, minivets, drongos, warblers, starlings, wea- vers, finches, buntings, swallows, wagtails, cuckoos, kingfishers, owls, eagles, pigeons, rails, gulls, terns, plovers, sandpipers, herons,