316 Mr. F. W. Styan o« the Birds of 



This little Mountain Crow of Samar is readily distinguished 

 from C. pusillus of the island of Paragua by its immense 

 curved beak. 



Hah. Samar. 



53. Sarcophanops samarensis, sp. nov. [Op. cit. p. 23.) 

 Differs from S. steerii chiefly in having the back mottled 

 lilac and brown, instead of dark ashy, this in both sexes. A 

 lilac wing-bar takes the place of the golden yellow one of 

 S. steerii. The male is lilac below and the female white, as 

 in S. steerii. 

 Hah. Samar. 



XXX. — On the Birds of the Lower Yangtse Basin. — Part I. 

 By F. W. Styan, F.Z.S. 



The district treated of in this paper extends from Hankow 

 to the mouth of the Yangtse, embracing the last 600 miles of 

 the river's course. Strictly speaking, the Lower Yangtse 

 basin should include the last 1000 miles, but from want of 

 opportunity I am unable to treat of the 400 miles between 

 Ichang and Hankow ; it is, however, an uninteresting region, 

 and would probably furnish little information which cannot 

 be obtained eastward of Hankow. 



The Yangtse may fairly be divided into three sections — ■ 

 the Upper river, the Lower river, and the delta ; the avi- 

 fauna of the two latter is practically the same, and differs 

 widely from that of the Upper Yangtse, as might be ex- 

 pected. The Upper Yangtse from its source passes through 

 the high tablelands and mountainous regions of Sechuen 

 until it debouches into the plains through the famous gorges 

 at Ichang. Thence, for some 450 miles, its course is mostly 

 through a broad valley and ancient lake-beds, backed by 

 mountain-ranges of more or less importance, through some 

 of which the river has cut its way. A little below Chin- 

 kiang, or perhaps at Kiang Yin, some 60 miles lower down, 

 the delta begins, embracing a large extent of low land de- 

 posited by the river, and extends on the right bank to Hang- 



