on the Trans-Siberian Railway Line. 407 



runs by night, as well as by day, the traveller misses about two 

 hundred miles during the darkness out of every twenty-four 

 hours' journey, in the month of June. As this article is 

 devoted to the birds observed from the line, I have only 

 mentioned in it such features of the landscape through which 

 I passed as may serve for a setting to the avifauna, with the 

 names of some of the more important towns, in order that 

 those who care to do so may note roughly the region referred 

 to from day to day. I do not pretend that even with the 

 aid of good binoculars it is possible to identify all the species 

 which are seen, and many, of course, must escape notice 

 altogether. At the same time a fair acquaintance with 

 the birds of the Palsearctic Region, and the assistance of 

 Mr. Dresser^s invaluable work on the subject, have enabled 

 me to make sufficient notes to be, I venture to hope, of some 

 utility. 



Nothing is more interesting than to notice the transition 

 from the range of one species into that of another, so 

 that in some cases, within an hour, it is possible to see the 

 last of the one and the first of the other. Indeed, I think, 

 from what 1 saw, that species tended to disappear suddenly 

 at the limit of their area of distribution, as often as they did 

 to gradually diminish in number, till they eventually vanished 

 from the landscape altogether. 



On the afternoon of June 1st I left Vladivostok, and the 

 line at first ran through badly cultivated country covered 

 with low scrub and the remains of silver-birch forest, having 

 an arm of the sea on the left-hand side. 



Carrion-Crows {Corvus corone) were much in evidence and 

 by the shore Black-eared Kites [Milvus melanotis) were not 

 uncommon. The Tree -Sparrow [Passer montanus) was 

 abundant and apparently just as parasitic on man here as 

 it is in China. The Eastern Common Swallow {Hirundo 

 gutturalis), and the Nepalese Swallow {H. striolata) were 

 plentiful at all the stations, and the nests of both species 

 often adorned the eaves of the same building. Apparently 

 the Nepalese Swallow is here a later breeding bird than 

 the other species, for none of its nests appeared to be 



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