Bhtribution of Birds!. 525 



and Severtzoff have been the principal explorers of modern 

 days. Prjevalsky was an ardent ornithologist and made 

 splendid collections of birds, which are now at St. Peters- 

 burg. We have as yet had but fragmentary notices of 

 thera. But, by the aid of a subsidy fro n a member of the 

 Imperial family, a complete account of the valuable zoological 

 results of Prjevalsky's various expeditions has now been 

 planned and commenced. The portion relating to the birds 

 (30) is being prepared by Herr Th. Pleske, who is in charge 

 of the bird-collection belonging to the Imperial Academy 

 of Sciences, and whom I have already mentioned as the 

 author of ' Ornithographia Rossica.' 



Another great Russian traveller and ornithologist, Severt- 

 zoff, has likewise died in the middle of his work. In his case 

 also means have been found to commence the publication of 

 the accumulated results of his many journeys in Central Asia. 

 Dr. Menzbier's ' Ornithologie du Turkestan ' (31) is based 

 mainly upon SevertzofF^s collections, and when completed 

 will vastly increase our knowledge of the avifauna of the 

 Tartarian Subregion. 



7. The Persian Subregion. 

 In my address to the British Association I mentioned the 

 approaching issue of Mr. Blanford's ' Zoology of Eastern 

 Persia ' (32). This work, which forms the second volume 

 of the account of the journeys of the Persian Boundary 

 Commission of 1870-72, was issued in J 876, and contains an 

 excellent treatise upon Persian Ornithology, with good illus- 

 trations of the more remarkable species. Since that period 

 no great additions have been made to our knowledge of the 

 birds of Central Persia. But an excellent observer on the 

 Persian coast, Mr. W. D. Cumming, has recently forwarded 

 a valuable series to the British Museum, of which Dr. Sharpc 

 has given us an account (33-35). Dr. Radde's excursion 

 along the northern frontiers of Persia (36, 37) has likewise 

 materially added to our knowledge of the birds of the 

 Persian Subregion. 



