Distribution of Birds in North Russia. 279 



the Petchora (say, between the meridians of 40° and 52° E. 

 long) ; and thirdly, between the Petchora and the Ural Moun- 

 tains, or to 70° E. long., in which latter is included the 

 Bolshaja Zemlia of the Russians, or Arkya Ya of the Samo- 

 yedes. Until this vast area is partially or wholly explored 

 by naturalists, we cannot hope to arrive at very satisfactory 

 results, or even to form a satisfactory basis to work upon ; 

 there remains too large a country unexplored, and there are 

 in consequence too few points at which observations have 

 been made. That it is an interesting country I believe 

 there can be little doubt ; and this is indicated by the absence 

 of certain species at Archangel v/hich are present at Ust 

 Zylma and vice versa. The fauna of the Lower Petchora 

 valley does not appear to retain such a purely western Paige- 

 arctic or European character as that of the Archangel district 

 does. Thus Budytes citreolus, which literally swarms upon 

 the banks of the Petchora and its islands north of the Arctic 

 circle, is unknown at Archangel ; and many other ■ cases in 

 point readily suggest themselves on perusal and comparison 

 of the various papers on North-Russian ornithology. The 

 question of interest is. Are the boundaries of the western and 

 eastern Palaearctic subregions, as at present laid down, all-suf- 

 ficient for zoological purposes ? Is it possible to fix these 

 boundaries with any thing like precision if so vast an area as 

 that between the White Sea and the present presumed boun- 

 dary remains (with the exception of one narrow strip) unex- 

 plored ? I think the answer must be, " No !' *. 



Without, then, at this time, discussing further the question 

 of eastern and western distribution, I return to the object 

 of this paper, viz. the distribution of birds between Ust Zylma 

 on the first great bend of the river Petchora, above its conflu- 

 ence with the sea, and the Golaievskai Islands, which form a 

 fringing belt of sandbanks across the entrance of the Petchora 

 Gulf, or Suchaye More (Shallow Sea) of the Russians, and 

 which are about 300 miles to the northward of the former 

 locality. 



Before presenting a table of the species met with, I will 



can learn, are all the records left by them, except a manuscript list of 

 birds by the latter gentleman, mentioned by JMr. WoUey (' Ibis ' 1859, 

 p. 75), but which, as yet, I have failed to trace. Seebohm and I were 

 told also by those who remembered them or travelled with them to the 

 Petchora, that they kept no notes, but simply collected skins and eggs 

 (see also 'Ibis,' 1876, p. 105). References up to date of other papers on 

 North-Russian ornithology will be given in later parts of this paper. 



* For the latest and fullest accoimt of the Palaearctic region and its 

 subregions see Wallace's 'Geographical Distribution of Animals,' vol. i. 

 chap. X. p. 180 ; and for the presently accepted boundaries of the ' Sibe- 

 rian ' and ' European ' subregions, see p. 191. 



20* 



