A VI-FA UNA. 



89 



tores, Scansoi'es, Osci?ies, Columbce, and Gallinacecc ; 

 of the Gi'allato7'es and Natatores only one species 

 breeds here. The proportions of the representatives 

 in each class are, however, very unequal, the v/arblers 

 {Oscines) being far the most numerous ; next in order 

 come the Raptores, then Gallinacecs, then climbers 

 {Scansoi'es), and ColumbcE last of all. 



The followino: table will at once show the distri- 

 bution of the birds of Kan-su : — 



On comparing the birds of Kan-su with those of 

 Mongolia, we find as striking a difference between 

 them as between their florae — a fact accounted for 

 by the contrast between the physical conditions of 

 the two countries. Forty-three of these birds were 

 foreign to Mongolia, and even more if we were to 

 include the birds of the Munni-ula and Ala-shan 

 ranges. The ornithology of Kan-su comprises Si- 

 berian, Chinese, Himalayan, and Thian-Shan birds. 



Beginning with the Raptores, we first notice three 

 kinds of vultures, the Snow-Vulture (Gyps nivicola),^ 

 the Black Vulture ( Vultur vioiiachus), and the 1am- 



' Gyps Iliinalaycnsis, Hume's 'Rough Notes,' p. 15. 



