Russia north of the Caucasus. 391 



the Baltic provinces. It is still rarer and only accidentally 

 breeds in the Governments of Grodno, Chernigov, Smolensk, 

 and Tula (only in the northern part of the last) . 



On migration the Merlin is common in the Baltic provinces, 

 in Poland, in the Governments of Podolsk and Kiev, rare in 

 the Governments of Kharkov and Voronesh, more common 

 in the Governments of Simbirsk and ^Lstrakhan. 



During the winter this bird has been seen in the Baltic 

 provinces as well as in all the central Governments (in the 

 Governments of Jaroslav, Vladimir, Moscow, Riazan, Tula, 

 and Smolensk), and not uncommonly in Southern Russia. 

 It has been observed in winter also near Astrakhan and in 

 the Crimea. 



Erythropus vespertinus. 



The Red-footed Falcon is distributed throughout the 

 whole of Russia south of lat. 65"; but is only an accidental 

 visitor to Finland. In the northern part of its breeding- 

 range it probably has become more common during the last 

 forty or fifty years, that country having previously been too 

 wooded to suit it. According to Mr. Teploonchov the Red- 

 footed Falcon is not uncommon in the Ural Mountains as far 

 north as lat. 58^°, and probably breeds near the Obva river. 

 On the Ural expedition this bird was observed near Perm ; 

 according to Mr. Lilljeborg and others it is very common in 

 the neighbourhood of Kargopol ; but its northern breeding- 

 limit from Perm to Kargopol is unknown. Mr. Henke re- 

 cords it as breeding in a colony on an island near Kholmo- 

 gory, on lofty oaks, and it is still common near the Sego 

 Lake and Lake Onega ; but it is rare on the north coasts of 

 Lake Ladoga, only very few straying as far north-west as 

 Torneo and the central portions of Finland (it has been 

 more common since the year 1867). It is one of the 

 rarest breeding raptorial birds in the Baltic provinces, and 

 is much scarcer in some localities of those provinces, as 

 Courland and the Government of Vilna. In Central Russia, 

 as far east as the Oka river, the Red-footed Falcon has 

 become very rare during the last few years; but it was common 



