220 V. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 217 



Aineirica. Their northward flight in spring must proceed to about 

 latitude 60° N". before turning westward for over 1000 miles to traverse 

 Alaska and penetrate deeply into northeastern Siberia. 

 The Indian name for this bird is Tzintzio. 



Oenanthe oenanthe oenanthe (Linnaeus) 



Imale 



June 9 



weight 32.0 g. 



Uttle fat 



testes 5x8, 6x6 mm. 



1 female 



June 9 



weight 35.5 g. 



fat 



egg 10 mm., 4 empty 

 follicles 



Wheatears were not observed on the southernmost of the Old Crow 

 Mountains but Eobert Bruce and I found a pair near the base of the 

 next northern and higher mountains on June 9. Altogether we saw 

 about ten in a few hours while climbing over the barren rocky mount- 

 tain at elevations from about 2,000 to 3,500 feet. They were as shy 

 and restless as usual during nesting time in the Alaskan Brooks 

 Kange. Joe Kay identified the specimens at once, giving their Indian 

 name as Ttha Tze, and was familiar with their shyness on the rocky 

 mountain slopes. 



The condition of the female listed above established first laying 

 about June 6. The soft fat of the wheatears was creamy white, as 

 was remarked at Anaktuvuk. The female was fat and above usual 

 weight showing its adequate nutrition while living on the barren 

 mountain during the intensive production of eggs. 



Wynne-Edwards (1952) reported the southeastern record of these 

 Asiatic birds in America in the eastern part of the Mackenzie Moun- 

 tains at latitude 64° 20' N., longitude 128° 20' W., a point which he 

 remarks upon as not much more than 1,000 miles west of the western 

 record of wheatears from eastern America. They are reported sum- 

 mering in mountain areas of southwestern Yukon and along the arctic 

 coast (Rand 1946). Their migration leads from Alaska to the 

 Chukchi Peninsula and southwestward along the Stanovoi Moun- 

 tains to Udski and thence farther through the interior of Asia 

 (Stejneger, 1901, p. 474). The nearest reported regular wintering 

 place of this race is far westward from Alaska in North China, and 

 their migration which almost reaches the Mackenzie, leads them 

 farther eastward into the American Continent than any of the other 

 land species wintering in Asia. 



Because of the large weight of these two wheatears, Bernard 

 Feinstein kindly reexamined the measurements of these specimens 

 and those from Anaktuvuk. He found them all to conform to 

 O. 0. oenanthe, no distinction being signified by these weights. 



