1888.] PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 431 



cembra does not occur wild in Scandinavia, where the Nutcrackers are 

 compelled to live on seeds or nuts harder and more difficult to open. 

 Pinus cembra is said to occur in the highest mountains of Hondo, Japan 

 but apparently in limited number. It is therefore doubtful whether the 

 Nutcracker to any great extent feeds on this fruit. I am also unable to 

 say whether the Japanese P. cembra belongs to a thin-shelled variety 

 or to a thick-shelled, as I cannot find it stated whether the form oc- 

 curring in Japan is P. cembra sibirica or not. It may be useful to 

 remark, that Professor Schiibeler (Die Pflanzenwelt Norwegens, Chris- 

 tiania, 1875, p. 15-1) characterizes the seeds of the two forms (or species :') 

 as follows : P. sibirica having the seed sooty brown in color, and rather 

 attenuated in shape at one end, one hundred seeds weighing 24.75 

 grams, while those of P. cembra typica are light brown, oval or nearly 

 globular, one hundred seeds weighing 39.10 grams. There are con- 

 sequently three questions for the resident field ornithologists of Japan 

 to solve: (1) Are the bills of the Nutcrackers residing in Japan normally 

 and on the average shorter than the bills of the birds residing on the 

 Asiatic main-land? (2) What kind of seed or nut forms the principal 

 food of the Nutcracker in Japan? (3) Are the seeds of Plnus cembra 

 in Japan incased in a harder shell than those from Siberia ? 



Measurements (in millimeters). 

 I. NUCIFRAGA MACRORHYNCHOS. 



(a) Specimens from Japan. 



(b) Specimens from Continental Asia and Europe. 



114097 



114098 



114100 



114099 



110015 



113218 

 113220 

 113221 

 113222 



Fusan, Korea 



...do 



...do 



...do 



Petropaulski, Kamt 



schatka. 

 Bergen, Xorway... 



V.'ao "!!!!!"""! 



...do 



Sept. 23, 1885 



Sept. 27, 1885 



Sept. 27, 1885 



Sept. 27, 1885 



Dec 27,1885 



Sept. 18, 1887 

 Sept. 30, 1887 

 Sept. 18, 1887 

 Sept. 10, 1887 



9 24 



10 26 



10 28 



10.3 32 



10 34 



9. 5 22 



• E - 



10 25 



9.6 27 



