854 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXFIl. 



the patches on the sides of the chest are dull brown, not red brown, and the red 

 of the head is a crimson red, not a fiery red as it is in the type. In both these 

 respects my specimens agree exactly with a short series labelled " C. c 

 loudoni, Zarudny" and collected by Baron Loudon himself in winter in 

 the Russian Talish, a forest district close to the Persian frontier, on the S. \"\ii. 

 side of the Caspian. The identity of this second race seems definitely esta- 

 blished, if we can presume that Baron Loudon knew the race named loudoni 

 by Zarudny. My specimens of C. c. loudoni have wing measurements as follows : 

 4c5' 77-81 mm. 2 9 77,78 mm. Three males collected by Loudon in the 

 Persian Tahsh measure 79' 5-81 mm., one female 76 '5. It is to be hoped that 

 members of the Society stationed in Persia will lose no opportunity of collect- 

 ing long series of Goldfinches at every time of year. At present it is well nigh 

 impossible to identify our specimens owing partly to the lack of others for com- 

 parison, partly also it must be owned to the number of races which have been 

 described by Zarudny. Apart from the races to which I have referred this 

 author has described blanfordi and iranensis from parts of Persia, and in his 

 paper published in 1911 he adds " C carduelis, C. c. volgensis, G. c. major, C. 

 minor, C. orientalis and O. caniceps orientalis " to the forms which either 

 migrate through or winter in various parts of Northern Persia. Small wonder 

 that sub-species are in bad odour in certain quarters ! 



Serinus pusillus (PaU.) Pied-fronted Finch. 



IJ, Elburz Mountains near Tehran, 16 June (R.E.C). 

 The Redfronted Finch probably breeds in aU the gorges and bushy valleys 

 of the Elburz. We do not know if it is there in winter. I saw it at about 3,000 

 feet near Menjil on 27 March, Cheesman up to 12,000 feet in the mountains just 

 behind Tehran on the 16th June, "feeding on low ground plants near mountain 

 spring — crop and gizzard full of white kernels of seeds." (R.E.C.) 



Fringilla ccelebs coelehs, L. — Chaflinch. 



\(S, Kermanshah — 30th November 1918. Wing 86 mm. 



1 (5 , Resht.— 26th February. Wing 92 mm. 



1 cT , Enzeli — 14th June. Wing 85 mm. 



1 6 , EnzeH— 30th June (R. E. C.) Wing 85 mm. 

 The Chaffinch was common above Karind up to 7,000 feet on 26th November 

 1918, also at Kermanshah. I did not see it at Hamadan or Qazvin in midwinter. 

 In the lowlying Caspian Provinces it is abundant in winter (Resht, Enzeli) but 

 the great majority leave in the last part of March. No nests were found, but 

 the males shot on 6th June and 30th June (R.E.C.) were in full song with much 

 enlarged testes. I saw a large family party at Astara, in the Talish district, on 

 the Caspian litoral, on 3rd July. 



Montifringilla nivalis (L.) — Snow Finch. 



I saw Snow Finches in December 1918, always above 7,000 feet, on the Asada- 

 bad and Avah Passes. It is interesting to see how high this bird remains even 

 in winter in spite of the snow and the wind. 



Petronia petronia exigims (Hellm.). — Rock Sparrow. 



1 d , 1 2 , Toehal, Elburz Mts. near Tehran, 16th Jmae. (R.E.C). 

 This race of the Rock Sparrow was observed by Cheesman breeding in high 

 cHffs, at from 8,000 — 11,000 feet. The wings measure S 100 mm. and 2 

 98 mm, so that the measurement agree with P. p. exiguus, which has already been 

 recorded by Zarudny and Harms (1913) from this part of Persia, but not other 

 parts : it is the form which occurs in the Caucasus and Armenia. 



References to "Zarudny'" and to "Hartert'' when not followed by a date 

 refer to Zarudny's paper 191], a (see Bibliography) and Hartert's Vog. pal. launa. 



