Russia north of the Caucasus. 259 



and Perm^ its northern breeding-limit trends from N.N.W. 

 to S.S.E. and in the Ural Mountains, according to Mr. 

 Sabanaev, tins Owl is found only as far north as lat. 59°. 

 Its southern breeding-limit is still insufficiently known; but 

 according to Eversmann it still nests in the woods of the 

 northern part of the Governments of Orenburg and Saratov. 

 We know^ nothing as to the distribution of this bird in the 

 Governments of Penza and Tambov, but it is common in the 

 Government of Riazan ; not uncommon in the northern jmrt 

 of the Government of Tula ; and is found throughout all the 

 forest-country from the Gulf of Finland in the north to the 

 country about the Pripet river in the south, as well as in 

 Poland. Russow states that it rarely breeds in the Baltic 

 Provinces. 



During the winter this Owl strays as far south as Guriev, 

 and is not uncommon in the woods of Southern Russia. 



Messrs. Carte, Blakiston, and Shatilov include Tengmalm's 

 Owl in their respective lists of the birds of the Crimea. But 

 neither Carte nor Blakiston obtained skins for identification, 

 and all the specimens of the supposed Nyctale tengmaJmi 

 in Shatilov's collection are merely darkly coloured examples 

 of Athene noctua. 



Athene noctua. 



The Little Owl is very common in Southern and in some 

 parts of Central Russia, but in the northern parts of Central 

 Russia it is very rare. 



We do not know its northern breeding-limit in the Baltic 

 Provinces, but it probably breeds in the south-western part 

 of Courland, as it is found in the Government of Grodno 

 and is common in Poland. Its distribution in the valley of 

 the Upper Dnieper is still unknow^n ; but in Central Russia it 

 breeds in the southern part of the Government of Tula, as 

 well as in the Government of Riazan, and is occasionally 

 found near Moscow. More to the east it inhabits the Govern- 

 ments of Penza, Simbirsk, and Orenburg ; but we do not know 

 the eastern and southern breeding-limit of this species be- 

 tween the Lower Volga and the Ural Mountains, and it is 



T 2 



