234 THE MIGRATION OF BIRDS. 



and Japan for the cold season. Many Carrion 

 Crows [Corvus corone) breeding in Eastern Asia 

 apparently also migrate due east or south-east in 

 autumn to districts on the Pacific sea-board ; and 

 it is not improbable that individuals of this species 

 even from South-east Russia and Turkestan take 

 this eastern journey, seeing that the Emigrations 

 of the Carrion Crow in past ages were apparently 

 from a far eastern centre of dispersal, and that 

 its nearest surviving allies are Oriental [Corvus 

 macrorhyncha), and even Australian {Corvus austra- 

 lis). Probably vast numbers of Larks (the eastern 

 races of Alauda arvensis : Alauda dulcivox and 

 coelivox) and other species migrate in autumn 

 along similar routes, but the subject requires 

 much further investigation before we can form 

 any tolerably complete estimate. We also certainly 

 hnd precisely the same phenomena in the Nearctic 

 region, of birds having extended their area in a 

 longitudinal direction, and migrating in autumn 

 from West to East. Several species of American 

 birds breeding in the Arctic regions of that continent 

 cross Behring Strait into Asia in spring, returning 

 to winter in the southern portions of the Nearctic 

 or the Neotropical regions. Among these birds 

 may be mentioned the Semipalmated Plover [j^gia- 

 Utis se7?iipal7natm), the western form of the Red- 

 breasted Snipe [Ereunetes griseus scolopaceus), and 

 the Buff-breasted Sandpiper {Trynghes rufescem). 

 This East to West Migration will be further noticed 

 in the following chapter. 



