Mr. H. Seebohm on the Ornithology of Siberia. 339 



EMBERIZA SCHCENICLUS, Linn. 



The Reed-Bunting arrived on the Arctic circle on the 13th 

 of June, and soon became very common. As we proceeded 

 north we lost sight of this bird before we had quite reached 

 the limit of forest-growth ; but I got a sitting of its eggs in 

 lat. 70i. 



EMBERIZA POLARIS, Midd. 



On the 9th of June, four days before the arrival of the 

 Reed-Bunting, a smaller and darker-coloured Bunting ap- 

 peared. It was very shy and skulking in its habits, and I 

 only secured one specimen. I afterwards added a second to 

 my collection. It appeared to be a comparatively rare and 

 local bird. I did not find it anywhere except on the banks 

 of the Koo-ray'-i-ka. I looked for it in vain on the other 

 bank of the Yen-e-say', opposite the mouth of the Koo-ray'- 

 i-ka, a locality where the Reed-Bunting was extremely abun- 

 dant. The following measurements of a male, compared with 

 a male of the common bird from the same locality, show that 

 it is considerably smaller than the European Reed-Bunting, 

 with a proportionately slightly longer tail. The figures are 

 inches and decimals. 



The distribution of colour in the two species is exactly the 

 same, except that the margins of the feathers on the back, 

 wing-coverts, and inner secondaries vary from rich chest- 

 nut to pale brown in the larger species, and from blue- grey 

 to white in the smaller species. This is specially conspicuous 

 on the wing- coverts near the carpal joint. On the smaller 

 bird there is a trace of chestnut in the middle of the back 

 and on the inner secondaries. 



So far as I know, the male of this bird has never been de- 

 scribed before; but I think there can scarcely be a doubt that it 

 is the male of the bird described by Middendor^f as Emberiza 



2A2 



