1890.] FROM SOUTH-EASTERN CHINA. 345 



the Central Siberian race enjoys a mean temperature at that season 

 of 58° to 62°. The Western race in the Baltic Provinces, and the 

 Eastern race in the valley of the Amoor, which are scarcely distin- 

 gishable, moult in a mean temperature of 65° to 70°, whilst the dark 

 race in South Europe and its prototype in China enjoy a mean 

 temperature of 75° to 80° daring the moulting-season. 



COCCOTHRAUSTES PERSONATXIS. 



Herr Baun obtained this species at Puching in April. 



Scops glabripes. 



Herr Baun obtained an example at Puching in December. This is 

 doubtless the species obtained by Mons. de la Touche near Foo-chow 

 (Styan, Ibis, 1887, p. 230) and regarded as Scops elegans. I only 

 know of the existence of five examples of the latter species. The 

 type is in the Philadelphia Museum ; the second example is in ihe 

 British Museum (and was erroneously described in the Catalogue, 

 vol. ii. p. 56, as Scops japonicus) ; the third is in the Educational 

 Museum of Toivio ; the fourtli is the Pryer collection ; and the fifth 

 in the Smithsonian Institution at Washington. 



o 



Microhierax melanoleucus, Blyth, Journ. As. Soc. Beng. 

 xii. pt. i. p. 179. 



An example of this beautiful little Hawk was collected by Herr 

 Baun at Shinkow in North Fokien on the 9th of October. It 

 resembles four examples in the British Mnseum from Eastern Assam. 

 Two other examples in the National collection differ in having more 

 or less white at the back of the neck. Three examples collected by 

 Abbe David in the province of Kiang-si and one obtained by Monsieur 

 Heude near Nankin are described as "avecune tache blanche au haut 

 du dos," and on the faith of this character have been regarded as 

 a distinct species under the name of Microheriax chinensis (David, 

 Bull. Soc. Philom. ser. 6, xii. p. 18). The validity of this species 

 must be regarded as very doubtful. 



Charadrius placidus. 



This species winters at Puching. 



On examining a large collection of birds from a definite locality 

 like the province of Fokien, and comparing them with an equally 

 important collection of birds from Japan, it is impossible not to be 

 surprised at the difference in their general character. In both collec- 

 tions there are many Palsearctic species which are winter visitors, but 

 when these are eliminated it is found that the species breeding in 

 South China and Formosa are for the most part Oriental, whilst those 

 breeding in North China and Japan are mostly Palsearctic. Possiblv 

 the best boundary between the two Regions in China, so far as birds 

 are concerned, may be the watershed between the valley of the Hoang- 

 IIo and the valley of the Yang-tze-Kiang. 



