Distribution of Birds in North Russia. 29 



In the whole of the Northern Division of 



North Russia we have records of ... . 249 species. 



Of these there are of extremely doubtful value 



in the fauna 12 ,, 



And of less doubtful nature 7 „ 



Leaving authentic records of 230 species. 



A great deal still remains to be done, especially in the N.E. 

 and N.W.* districts, and also in some parts of the N.C., 

 before we can form an accurate idea of the longitudinal distribu- 

 tion. I have elsewhere more particularly indicated those 

 portions of North Russia in which useful work might be done 

 (Appendix to " Notes on the Birds of the Lower Petchora," 

 issued with separata). It is believed, however, that the 

 tabular treatment of the subject above given will admit of 

 future additions and corrections being made at any time, and 

 that future generalizations will be made somewhat easier. 



In my next section I hope to be able to treat of the fauna 

 of the Southern Division, and to compare the Northern and 

 Southern together. Then, having treated of the whole of 

 North Russia north of 60° N. lat., a comparison may be 

 instituted between the faunas of all the countries of the Western 

 Palsarctic Region north of the aforesaid parallel, and useful 

 results may be arrived at regarding the distribution of species 

 in Northern Europe. 



I offer this plan of loork to naturalists, and especially to 

 workers in geographical distribution, in the hope that some- 



* There appears to be good reason to believe that the northern portions 

 of the Kola peninsula are not thickly populated by birds, and might not 

 indeed repay a visit, if only collecting were intended. (A comparison, 

 however, of even the limited fauna of the Kola tundras with that of the 

 tundras further east and west could not fail to have considerable interest 

 for the student of geographical distribution.) In a work entitled ' En 

 Sommer i Finmarken, Russisk Lappland og Nord Kareleu,' Christiania, 

 1871, p. 211, the author (Prof. J. A. Friis) describes the banks of the 

 river Kola as almost destitute of bird-life, although they are covered with 

 luxuriant vegetation in summer. On the banks of the Tana Elv, further 

 to the westward, and about 800 miles from the fjord, there is a singular 

 dearth of bird-life, as 1 am informed by a friend who for many years has 

 fished that river ; and the same remark applies to the Enare lake and 

 the district around it. Prof. Newton informs me, however, that the 

 contrary is the case as regards the lower reaches of the Tana Elv. The 

 southern half, however, of the Kola peninsida, south of the limit of pine- 

 growth \yide Dr. A. Petermann's maps; Stieler's Iland-Atlas, no. 51, 

 Ost-Europa, V>\. 2. Nordost-Russland (Gotha, Justus Perthes, 187(5) ; or 

 map in Prof. Friis's work above alluded to], will probably be found to 

 possess a richer and more varied fauna. For further remarks on the work 

 done and the work to be done, I refer my readers to our Appendix to our 

 "Notes on the Birds of the Lower Petchora.' 



