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



polaris in his ' Sibirische Reise/ ii. p. 146. This bird was 

 described from a female, obtained by Middendorff about three 

 hundred miles to the north-east of the locality where I pro- 

 cured my bird. He represents it as differing from the female 

 of E. schceniclus in almost precisely the same characters which 

 I have pointed out above as distinguishing the two males. 



EMBERIZA AUREOLA, Pall. 



I shot this very handsome and conspicuous bird for the 

 first time on the Arctic circle on the 9th of June, but only 

 occasionally saw it afterwards. This must be nearly its 

 northern limit. On the return journey I shot it again at 

 Yen-e-saisk', in lat. 58, in the middle of August, with scarcely 

 fledged young. There are skins of this bird in the St. -Peters- 

 burg Museum, collected by Baron Maydell in the Tschuski 

 Land. 



EMBERIZA LEUCOCEPHALA, Gmel. 



I shot one solitary bird of the Pine-Bunting on the Arctic 

 circle on the 13th of June, but did not meet with it again. 



EMBERIZA RUSTICA, Pall. 



I did not meet with this bird until I reached lat. 62, on 

 my return journey. 



PLECTROPHANES NIVALIS (Linn.). 



In crossing the great steppes of South-western Siberia, 

 between Tyu-main' and Tomsk, we frequently came upon 

 small flocks of Snow-Buntings. These birds seem to have no 

 settled winter home ; but during the cold weather they appa- 

 rently live a roving gipsy life, wandering about in flocks, 

 perpetually migrating northwards as fast as the frost and 

 snow will let them, but continually forced to beat a retreat 

 with every return of wintry weather. As we passed through 

 Yen-e-saisk' early in April, we were told that the Snow- 

 Buntings had arrived just before us. When we reached the 

 winter- quarters of the ' Thames/ on the 23rd of April, the 

 sailors informed us that the Snow-Buntings had preceded us 

 by a few days. Small flocks were constantly seen until the 7th 

 of June. We saw no more of them until we reached Gol- 

 cheek'-a, where we were in their breeding-grounds. 



