ON THE FAUNA OF JAPAN. 115 



motoi represent the latter elements, cliiefly occupying tire northern 

 district of Honshu. Some remarkable species are Vrotriclius talpoides 

 ialpoides, Dymecodon pilirostris, and 31acaca (Jnnus) fascata, of which 

 the last is known to extend northwards to Aomori prefecture but not 

 beyond. Quite recently specified as a '' natural monument " is the 

 " tanuki," Nydereutes viverrinus, which; with other species of this 

 genus, is the most typical representative of the animals characteristic 

 of the Eastasian subregion (Watase, Shiseki Meisho Tenuen-Kinenbutsu, 

 I, 1926). 



The birds ascertained to inhabit the islands reach enormous 

 numbers, the gTcat majority of them being decidedly represented by 

 forms widely distributed in China and Korea. The number of species 

 and varieties which appear to be peculiar are 6 in Kyushu, such as 

 Phasicmus versicolor kiusiuensis, GrapJiopJiasianus soemmerringii soem- 

 merringn, Ynnc/ipicus Idzulci hi?Atld, etc., and 17 in Honshu, such as 

 Bradyptertts pryeri pryeri, Y. kizuJd nippon, Fterodroma hngirostris, 

 Picus aivoJcera aicokera, Dryohates major liondoensis, Pernis apivorns 

 orientalis, Ph. versicolor versicolor, G. seem, scintillcms, Lagopus onntus 

 japonicus, Strix urcdensis Jiondoensis, etc. No peculiar species is found 

 in Shikoku, where the avifauna closely resembles that of southern 

 Honshu as well as of Kyushu. Of the species recorded above, one of 

 the most notable is the Japanese ptarmigan, which finds its home in 

 the Japanese Aljis at the snow line. 



Kecently specified as " natural monuments " are some l)irds, which 

 comprise, besides the ptai-migan recorded above, the cranes (Megalornis 

 monaclms, 31. japonensis, 31. grus lilforcli, Psendogeramts vipio, 

 Sarcogercmus leucogeraims, and Anthropoides virgo), the Japanese stork 

 (C'iconia ciconia hoyciana), black-tailed gull (Larus crassirostris), 

 swans {Cygnus cygnus and Cy. bewickii minor), long-tailed fowl, 

 the Chinese magpie {Pica pica sesicea) and the Japanese shearwater 

 {Puffinus leucomelas). Of the above six species of cranes, the common- 

 est forms which have come over to this country since olden times are 

 the hooded crane and the white-necked crane, and it seems that the 

 Japanese crane (Tancho) has been rather rare. They are winter 

 residtfuts, now appearing in flocks in two regions, Yashiro-mura, 

 Yamaguchi prefecture, and Akime-mura, Kagoshima prefecture. Their 

 breeding takes place in summer in Manchuria and eastern Siberia. 

 Next comes the Japanese stork, which, diifering from the European 

 form which migiMtes, remains as resident all the year round in the 



