n rPN.E.Z.C. 



2 BIRDS AND MAMMALS OF EAST SIBERIA [ vol. V 



Strait before the ice made. Most unfortunately this endeavor 

 failed. Mr. Koren was caught in the ice at Cape Unikin, in a bad 

 time, his vessel was completely wrecked, and he and his crew were 

 forced to take refuge on the bleak Siberian mainland. By dint of 

 very hard work, Koren managed to save most of his collections; 

 he lost only one or two boxes, containing nests and some young 

 birds in the down, and a few large birds that were not packed in 

 boxes. He cached his collections, and what else he had saved from 

 the wreck, and made his way overland to East Cape, eventually 

 getting across the Strait to the American side. The next spring 

 he went back and recovered his collections, finding them still in 

 good condition. 



The region that Koren collected in is one of much interest. 

 The Lena River, with the high range of mountains and elevated 

 plateau just east of it, forms a natural fauna! barrier, west of which 

 occur European forms and east of which begin the ranges of the 

 East Siberian forms. South and east another range of mountains 

 separates this region from the Kamchatkan. 



The Russian ornithologist Buturlin has collected in the 

 Kolyma country, and has described several fine races of birds 

 from there; others had been discovered there before. Alto- 

 gether, it seemed to be a region from which more material was 

 much to be desired. We hardly expected so many of the mam- 

 mals to prove distinct, but this is one of the pleasant surprises 

 of the expedition. — 0. B. 



