Mr. H. Seebchm on the Ornithology of Siberia. 8 
struck me as having a wonderfully fine song, richer and more 
melodious than that of the Blue-throat, and scarcely inferior 
to that of a Nightingale. I shot him to be quite sure that 
he was only a Blue-throat, and was astonished to pick up a 
fine male Ruby-throated Warbler. I did not meet with this 
bird again until I reached Yen-e-saisk’ on my return journey. 
It was then the 16th of August, and I was exploring the reedy 
swamps near the river. My attention was attracted to a bird 
hidden among the Carices, which was uttering avery loud harsh 
ery, like fic, tic, tic. After waiting some time I got a shot 
at it in a tall bunch of rushes. I felt quite sure that the bird 
was a large Acrocephalus, and was astonished to find asecond 
male Ruby-throat. 
SAXICOLA @NANTHE (Linn.). 
The Wheatear arrived at our winter quarters on the 3rd 
of June, and was common as far north as we went. 
PRaTINCOLA INDICA, Blyth. 
The Indian form of the Stonechat, with pure white un- 
spotted rump and nearly black axillaries, was rare. I noticed 
it first on the 11th of June on the Arctic circle, and after- 
wards in lat. 67°. 
Syivia curruca, Linn., subspecies affinis, Blyth. 
I first noticed the Lesser Whitethroat on the 8th of June, 
and did not observe it further north than lat. 67°. In ‘ Stray 
Feathers,’ i. p. 872, Mr. Brooks endeavours to show that 
the Indian bird differs from ours. Of the six differences 
which he there points out I cannot detect any but the first. 
There is no doubt that in the eastern bird the wing 1s generally 
somewhat more rounded than in the western form; but whether 
this is sufficient to entitle the two forms to specific rank I 
feel considerable doubt. In ten skins from England, Norway, 
Heligoland, Russia, Turkey, and Asia Minor, the second pri- 
mary is decidedly longer than the sixth. In one skin from 
India and one from the Yen-e-say’ this is also the case. In 
five skins from India and five skins from the Yen-e-say’ the 
second primary is shorter than the sixth, but longer than the 
seventh ; and in one skin from Cawnpore and one from Be- 
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