24 Mr. C. G. Danford on the 



place of Giaour keui was undertaken next day — quite unsuc- 

 cessfully ; for not one S. jmsillus was seen. 



" The following morning an excursion was made from the 

 above callage along the banks of the Korkiin river to the 

 northward^ when many flocks of the desired bird were met 

 with/ and during the rest of our stay in the Ala dagh (19th 

 to 28th of April) it was constantly observed^ both in little 

 flocks and pairs, at elevations of from 3000 to 5000 feet. So 

 common was it, that during a ride of eight hom's from Giaour 

 keui to Bereketlii, at least a thousand of this species must 

 have been seen. 



"It appears to breed exclusively in the juniper trees, which 

 are here very numerous and large, and form the characteristic 

 and, cedars excepted, almost the only tree-growth of this part 

 of the country. The dense foliage and close contact of these 

 trees make the nests extremely difiicult to find. Birds, how- 

 ever, were observed building ; eggs almost ready for extrusion 

 were taken from those shot ; and on the 21st April a nest con- 

 taining four eggs, and declared to belong without doubt to 

 this species, was brought in. It was taken from a juniper 

 tolerably high up ; and there seems but little reason to dis- 

 credit the identification, as the bird is so common and well 

 known to the natives, whereas the ordinary Serin is quite rare 

 among the junipers, preferring the fir-districts. 



" In a large series the coloui* and size of the frontal patch 

 is the same in both sexes ; but the male difl*ers from the female 

 in having the black of the throat deeper and extended lower 

 down, and the general plumage more richly tinted with orange. 

 These juniper- districts of the Ala dagh are the only localities 

 in which the present species was found, and are evidently the 

 breeding-quarters of vast numbers of this beautiful little 

 Finch." 



The nest is made of fine grasses, mixed with lichens and 

 lined with dark soft feathers. Mr. Dresser, to whom it was 

 submitted, observes that it is larger than that of the ordinary 

 Serin, and differs considerably in general appearance, but the 

 eggs closely resemble those of that species. 



