334 Mr. H. Seebohm on the Ornithology of Siberia. 



form, that L. excubitor breeds near St. Petersburg, whilst 

 L. major only passes through on emigration. It winters in 

 Asia Minor. It does not appear to be a very clearly differ- 

 entiated species. I have a skin from Asia Minor with the 

 basal half of the eleventh quill white, whilst the tenth, twelfth, 

 and succeeding quills scarcely show a trace of white at the 

 base; and, curiously enough, this is the same in both wings. 

 Birds like these may be intermediate forms ; or, after my ex- 

 perience of the Crow, I should not be surprised to find that 

 on the boundary line of their geographical distrib.ution they 

 occasionally, if not habitually, intermarry. 



Passer domesticus (Linn.). 



The common Sparrow abounded in all the towns and vil- 

 lages through which we sledged as far as Yen-e-saisk', and 

 disappeared about lat. 60°. On the 16th of June a solitary 

 pair appeared at the Koo-ray'-i-ka, the only occasion on 

 which I met with this bird within the Arctic circle. 



Passer montanus (Linn.). 



Tne only place between Nishni Novgorod and Yen-e- 

 saisk' where I observed the Tree- Sparrow was at a little village 

 about forty miles west of Kasan. In Yen-e-saisk' it was as 

 abundant as the common Sparrow ; but I did not meet with 

 it further north. 



Pyrrhula major, Brehm. 



The very handsome large variety of the Bullfinch with the 

 brick-red breast was very abundant wherever the road passed 

 through forests as far as Yen-e-saisk'; but I did not meet with 

 it afterwards, either in the Arctic circle, or on the return 

 journey. 



Carpodacus erythrinus (Pall.). 



The Scarlet Bullfinch arrived on the Arctic circle on the 

 6th of June, and was soon afterwards very abundant. I did 

 not observe it further north than lat. 68°. Its cheerful little 

 song was constantly heard. It did not require a great stretch 

 of imagination to fancy it said '''pleased to see' you.'' I only 

 shot one male without the scarlet on the breast. Baron 

 Mavdell got this bird in the Tschuski Land. 



