440 Mr. Douglas Carrutliers on the 



in the month of June, bird-life did not extend to above 

 10,000 feet. 



After this I made a journey to the plateaux of Arpa 

 and Ak-sai, which are situated between the Pamirs and the 

 Tian Shan. The Pamirs themselves are closed to travellers, 

 and the only other locality that seemed to offer the same 

 conditions and to contain the same fauna was this plateau 

 district, situated north of Kashgar. 



However, I did little collecting there, as bird-life was 

 very scarce indeed, and the few birds met with were in 

 full moult. But I saw sufficient to induce me to suppose 

 that immediately north and north-east of the Ferghana and 

 Pamirs, there is a very different fauna. 



It is not necessary to give an itinerary, but I may say 

 that I spent twelve months in the valley of the Zarafschan, 

 moving up and down and making collections at the same 

 places in different seasons. The whole series was composed 

 of about 600 specimens, 523 of which have been purchased 

 by the Trustees of the British Museum. These include 

 examples of 147 species. A certain number of large and 

 common birds 1 did not collect and a few rare ones 1 

 saw but never obtained. Notes on these are included as 

 an appendix. 



My best thanks are due to Mr. Ogilvie-Grant and Mr. 

 Wells at the Natural History Museum, for their kindness 

 in helping me to work out the collection and in identifying 

 the specimens. 



1. CORVUS CORN IX. 



Corvus comix Sharpe, Cat. B. iii. p. 31. 



? . Samarkand. 27 Oct., 1907. No. 126. 



? . „ 17 Dec, 1907. No. 235. 



A winter visitor only. The Hooded Crows arrive in the 

 Zarafschan Valley from the north at the end of October. 

 As the winter advances they increase in numbers, until the 

 first week in April, when they suddenly begin to go north 

 again. By the 10th of April there was not one to be seen 

 anywhere. 



