Dr. O. Finsch^s Ornithological Letters. 51 



trees. Pastor roseus was plentiful ; but we did not find its 

 breeding-place. 



On leaving lake Ala-kul we went to Lepsa^ at the foot of 

 the Ala-taw Mountains — the mighty frontier between Russia 

 and China. Thence we made excursions into the mountains, 

 never being able to ascend to any great elevation on account 

 of the snow. 



We now found numbers of representatives of the Indian avi- 

 fauna which we had not previously met with. Instead of the 

 common Wagtail, which we still observed on the Ala-kul, we 

 had the pleasure of seeing Motacilla personata in the streets of 

 Lepsa, a species observed along the whole road through the 

 Tarbagatai and Altai to Kolywan. In Barnaul Motacilla alba 

 was again the only species. We also saw Cinclus leucog aster, 

 a species of Pica (most likely P. leucoptera) , the Himalayan 

 Fringilla caniceps, a Petrocincla which I cannot make out 

 at present, a species of Columba allied to C. pulumbus, but 

 distinct, a wonderful species of Saxicola, throughout black, 

 except the head, which was grey. This bird was shot near 

 the interesting Dscassyl-kul, an alpine lake, situated 5000 feet 

 above the sea-level. We also met with Cotyle rupestris, Carpo- 

 dacus erythrinus, a Corvus smaller than C. corax, but larger 

 than C. corone, perhaps also new. From Lepsa we went back 

 to the Ala-kul, and by the road of Urdscha-Bacty to the Chi- 

 nese town of Tschugutschak, and thence crossing the Tarba- 

 gatai Mountains, which form the Russo-Chinese frontier, by 

 the Bugutai pass to Saissan, where we arrived on the 30th 

 of May. The greater part of our way lay through steppe 

 region abounding with Larks. Our common species [Alauda 

 arvensis) we found everywhere, even on the highest meadows 

 of the Altai ; also A. brachydactyla, and a species resembling 

 A. sibirica, but larger, and which I cannot now determine; 

 A. albigula was also there. A. tartarica, strange to say, was 

 absent, disappearing before we reached Sergiopol ; nor did we 

 meet with this singular species again until we reached the 

 desert-like steppe between Nor-Saissan and Maiterek, which is 

 in character like the desert of Gobi, as we were told by people 

 who know the latter. 



E 2 



