RUSTIC BUNTING. 159 



10. — E. rustica, Pallas. North of Russia, and Boreal Asia. E. 

 borealis, Zetterstedt; E. lesbia, Calvi and Savi; Mytilene de Provence, 

 BufTon, pi. enl. 



11. — E. pusilla, Pallas. Boreal Russia and Asia. 



12. — E. pityomus, Pallas. Asia. Accidentally in East of Europe 

 — Greece. 



13. — E. schceniculus, Linnaeus. Europe. E. pallasii, Cabanis, original 

 type; E. intermedia, Michahelles; E. procincialis , Gmelin, Bonaparte; 

 Gaooue de Provence, BufFon, pi. enl. (b,) E. pyrrhuloides, Pallas. South 

 of Europe. E. palustris, Savi. 



The two species, E. rustica, Pallas, and E. pusilla, Pallas, are per- 

 fectly distinct and unmistakeable. They both live and nest in the 

 forests of Northern Russia, for instance, in the neighbourhood of 

 Archangel. E. rustica is also found in Lapland. There are correct 

 figures of the two species in the Appendix to Naumann, 'Vogel 

 Deutschlands,' vol. xiii, pi. 388. These figures were taken from 

 individuals which I killed myself in the north of Russia, in the 

 neighbourhood of Nidjing-Wiliki; the two species have also been 

 taken in the Island of Heligoland, and in the middle of Germany. 



It is very difficult to interpret correctly BufTon's figures pi. enl. 

 656, figs. 1 and 2. Le Gavoue de Provence, pi. enl. 656, fig. 1, has 

 the beak, and is nearly of the same colour as E. schceniculus vai\ 

 intermedia, Michahelles ; but the figure is the type of E. provincialis , 

 Gmelin, and is also the E. durrazzi, Bonaparte, that is to say E. 

 schce)iiculus , Linnaeus. I think that is al] that can be said of this 

 question, nearly lost to European ornithology. 



Le Mitilene de Provence is perhaps, and will probably be (est 

 peut etre et elle sera probahlement) an imperfect representation of E. 

 rustica, Pall. ? (BufFon, pi. enl. 656, fig. 2.) The form and contour 

 of the beak, and the colour of the plumage, are characteristic of 

 E. rustica; but Temminck's description, Man. d'Orn., iii., p. 235, is 

 perhaps a phantom of E. fucata, Pallas. This is the reason why 

 E. fucata has been considered a European species, but it is a 

 very uncertain supposition, and a presumption made upon insufficient 

 data. I think it possible that Temminck wrote his description of 

 E. lesbia, Man., i., p. 317, from BufTon's figure. 



The two species, E. rustica and pusilla, Pallas, live regularly in 

 the north of Russia, and have been taken many times in Central 

 Europe; but E. fucata, Pallas, has never been taken with certainty 

 in Europe. 



Accept the assurance, etc., etc., 



C. R. Bree, Esq., M.D. J. H. Blasius." 



