Caspian Sea and the Elburz Mountains. 493 



This is interesting confirmation of Blanford's definition of 

 the Caspian region as ending with the forest on the slopes 

 of the Elburz Mountains. It would thus seem that climatic 

 conditions and consequent changes in environment are 

 responsible for the division rather than the actual mountain- 

 barrier. 



In the following pages I have referred to Blanford's 

 'Eastern Persia/ vol. ii. as B. for the sake of brevity, and in 

 the same way my articles in the 'Ibis' for 1903 and 1907 

 are referred to as W. 1903 and W. 1907. An asterisk 

 prefixed to either of these initials indicates that no specimen 

 of the bird in question was obtained. 



Falco jEsalon Tunstall. [*B. 105.] 



<J . March 22, south coast, Caspian Sea. 



This specimen is very pale and has very few stripes on the 

 breast. 



The Merlin does not appear to have been recorded hitherto 

 from Persia. It is probably only a winter visitor to the 

 northern parts of that country. 



Accipiter nisus (L.). [B. 109. W. 1907, p. 77.] 

 $ . Feb. 16, S. coast, Caspian Sea. 



" A few Sparrow-Hawks were seen in the forests of 

 Mazandaran, but this was not at all a common bird." — 

 R. B. W. 



Scops giu (Scop.). [B. 115. W. 1903, p. 560] 



Three in May from the Elburz Mts. (near Tehran, alt. 



7000 ft.) . 



" Not seen on the north side of the mountains." — 



R. B. W. 



Syrnium aluco aluco (L.). [W. 1903, p. 560.] 



<$ . April 5, S. coast, Caspian Sea. 



" The only specimen seen ; we never heard them at 

 night."— R.B.W. 



This is a dark brown example with scarcely any rufous, 

 and is much striated on the breast and particularly dark on 

 the nape and mantle. It is thus very different from the 

 pale and faintly marked Tawny Owl which I obtained in 



