1S87.] PROCEEDINGS OF UXITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 607 



1883, p. 370), and liually Mr. Seebohm determined the Yezo bird as "the 

 Arctic or pale tbriu kuowu as var. scimdidaca'^ (Ibis, 1884, p. 37). The 

 specimen he so identified is now in the U. S. National Museum (No. 

 DOlll), and Laving no Siberian examples for comparison, I accept his 

 determination as correct. 



The next question is as to the identity of the Hondo, or Southern, bird. 

 Mr. Ridj^way (/. c.) stated that the specimen before him (U. S. Nat. 

 Mus. No. l)i;55J:) " is very tawny above, and hardly distinguishable from 

 some German examples," a statement which I can fully corroborate, 

 with the addition that I am unable to find the slightest difference be- 

 tween it and No. 88495, a male from Ivurhessen, Germany, collected by 

 Count von Berlepsch, Marcli 31, 1871), except that the former has the 

 bill somewhat smaller, due to its being a female. A pair received from 

 the Tokio Educational Museum ( 5 , U. S. Nat. Mus. No. 109351, Iwaki, 

 Hondo, February 3, 188G; $ , No. 109352, ibid., February 5, 1880), agree 

 quite as well with other specimens from the same locality and collector 

 in Ciermany, the bill of the male being fully as long as in the birds from 

 the latter country. 



It may be that a considerably larger series of birds from Scandinavia 

 and Central Europe than 1 have at present (five from the former local- 

 ity, twelve from the latter) might establish a slight dilference in the 

 coloration, as those before me seem to indicate that the Scandinavian 

 examples are a trifle paler. But it seems doubtful to me, in view of the 

 slightness of the differeuce and the individual variation observable, if 

 a sufficient percentage of specimens can be satisfactorily distinguished. 

 Individuals from the higher mountains in southern Europe are said to 

 be paler than those iu the valleys and lowlands, and are presumably 

 absolutely identical with Scandinavian examples. C. costcv and G. nat- 

 tereri would then be synonyms of C.familiaris, a name which, of course, 

 particularly belongs to the Scandinavian bird, but as I have no exam- 

 ples from southern mountains (unless one would refer to this category 

 a specimen from the Vosges, France, U. S. Nat. Mus. No. 102927, which 

 is indeed labeled C. costw without differing in the least from other 

 Central European specimens of the lowlands), I am unable to form an 

 opinion. I may mention that iu case a southern lowland form should 

 become recognized by ornithologists, its proper name would be Ger- 

 thia familiaris macrodactyla Brehm (syn. = G. hracliydactijla Auct. neo 

 Brehm!!).* 



In regard to the differences between the two races inhabiting Japan, 

 I may remark that judging from the comparatively scant material be- 

 fore me there seems to be no appreciable difference in size, as will be 



* Since the above was set iu type I have received a specimen from Hallein, Salz- 

 burg, Austria (U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 113382, collected by Victor, Ritter von Tschusi 

 zu Schmidhoffeu), which in every way is indistinguishable from the Scandinavian 

 examples. It seems to corroborate the view of there being two forms in Continental 

 Europe (besides C. hrachydactijla), one of which is confined to the high mountains and 

 identical with the Scandinavian form. 



