\oi. j^'^ I IIail. The Eastern Patcparctica and AustYalin. QI 



Graitcalits. the Cuckoo-Shriko, is found no furtlicr north than 

 Manchuria. It is mostly found in Australia, India, and Africa. 



Wood-Swallows (Arluiiiiis) range between Tasmania and Xortli 

 China, while a closely-allied family of Waxwings {Anipelida') 

 ranges between the latter and the Arctic Circle. .\t the time I 

 was in Japan their breeding-place was not known. 



Geocichla sibirica, the Siberian Ground-Thrush, is found in the 

 valley of the Lena, westward to Great Britain, and south to Java. 

 G. htniilata then takes its place in Australia. This northern form 

 is melanistic, and it would be interesting to know if the young 

 are like the adults, as with other Geocichla. 



I collected four species of Song-Thrushes, one being Titrdiis 

 mnsiciis, the Song-Thrush, which passes through England on its 

 way from northern Europe to Africa. Those nesting within the 

 Arctic Circle of Eastern Siberia migrate to the Indian region, 

 and possibly Egypt. They never come on to Australia, as those 

 we have were artificially introduced. We also got Meriila 

 naimianni, a Blackbird, at Yarkutsk, which winters in China. 

 A Hedge-Sparrow {Accentor montaneUiis), secured in July in the 

 Arctic sub-region, also winters in China. 



The Wheatear {Saxicola (rnanthe) is closely related to the Robin 

 (Peiroica) of Australia. I met it nesting right up on the northern 

 edge of the tundra. The Alaskan birds also migrate to India in 

 winter, I think meeting the Lena birds on the Aldan River. The 

 nearer course for them would have been via Saghalien and Japan. 



The Blue-throat {Cyanecnla suecica siiecica) is also a relative of 

 our Petroica. I found it nesting far beyond the region of timber 

 in the Lena delta. This small bird migrates to Abyssinia and 

 India, and is found not to occupy the country between its 

 extremes of range (Map X.) It is one of the few Passerine birds 

 found nesting at the Lena mouth among the birds due out to 

 Australia. It never goes with them. 



The W'hite-eye {Zosterops) has its most northerly range in 

 Manchuria. Z. japonictts has the tip of its tongue frayed out 

 like that of Ptilotis, the Australian Honey-eater. 



Of the family Certhiidce, I met the English Tree-creeper [C. 

 familiaris) commonly in Corea. It had a sweet, strong song, 

 which our Cliniacteyis does not have, and the tail is used in 

 climbing, much more so than with our birds. 



Acrocephalus australis, the Reed- Warbler of Australia, has 

 several close relatives in Palsearctica. It appeals to me as a. 

 Palgearctic bird that once annually migrated from Siberia to the 

 Straits Settlements and Burma along with many of the others 

 in the eastern arc. Later it came on to N.W. AustraUa, and has 

 become a species nesting on the continent. PhyUoscopus and 

 Regulus, which I collected, had a song and appearance like it. 

 The whole sub-family mostly nest in Siberia and winter in Burma. 

 Many are equally fine song-birds, P. borealis singing on the Lena 

 to the exclusion of all others. Regulus goes to Alaska, and is one 

 of the few birds that pass down from Alaska into America. This 



