ENG-1960 — Page 357

NATURAL HISTORY

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ducks and grebes, and this is only a list of the families represented by several species.

The Hong Kong Bird Watching Society, which was founded in 1957, published in 1960 a further report of its many activities during the previous year. It also gave authority for publication of 'An Annotated Check List of the Birds of Hong Kong'. Written by two of the members of the Society from its records, this lists 345 races of 333 species recorded in the Colony between 1860 and the end of April 1960. During 1960 the number of species and races recorded from the Colony was 246, including eight birds new to the Colony list. These were the Lesser Crested Tern, Bar-tailed Cuckoo-Dove, Grey-headed Flycatcher, Yellow- breasted Willow-Warbler, Green-headed Flycatcher-Warbler, Brown Thrush, Red-headed Tit, and Ruddy Sparrow. The total number of species believed to have bred in the Colony is 64 but typhoon 'Mary' did much damage to breeding birds and destroyed count- less nests. The results of the White-bellied Sea Eagle's breeding, reported last year, may be seen in one of this volume's coloured illustrations.

Reptiles and Amphibians. There are many snakes, lizards and frogs in Hong Kong. Other reptiles or amphibians include various terrapins and turtles, the Common Indian Toad, and the Chinese Newt. The most commonly encountered among the Colony's snakes are harmless, and death from snake-bite is extremely rare. Apart from certain rear-fanged species, not dangerous to man, the venomous land snakes are the Banded Krait, the Many-banded Krait, Macclelland's Coral Snake, the Indian or Chinese Cobra, the Hamadryad or King Cobra, and the White-lipped Pit Viper or Bamboo Snake. All of the sea snakes which live in or near the Colony's waters are venomous, but fortunately they have never been known to attack bathers.

Butterflies and Moths. One hundred and seventy nine species of butterflies, belonging to nine families, have been recorded in a Colony check list published in 1953. Several species of the attractive and predominantly tropical butterflies popularly known as 'swallow-tails' are particularly conspicuous. The number of moths is far greater but no comprehensive list of local species has ever been published. The magnificent Atlas Moth, with a wing- span from about seven to nine inches, is fairly common. Another