288 THE EIRDS OF MONGOLIA ETC. 



by US we found it very common, and also at Lake Baikal. The probability 

 is that they migrate mostly along the eastern boundary of Gobi. 



At Lake Hanka we noticed it only during the spring migration, com- 

 mencing from the end of March or the beginning of April, apparently not 

 remaining to breed there, although Maack found them breeding in Ussuri 

 country. 



143. Chlorosptza sinica, L. 



Fringilla kawarahiba minor, Temm. & Sclileg. Faun. Jap. pi. xlix. 



Although this species is common in China, Japan, and at the Amur, we 

 met with it in Mongolia only at Lake Dalai-nor, and once only in the Ural 

 country. It does not occur either in Ala-shan or at Muni-ul. It is 

 tolerably abundant at Kan-su, in the lower mountain-plains, especially so 

 near fields. Specimens killed in August were moulting very fast. 



144. Pyrgita petronia, L. Vorobey hamennoy, 



Mongolian specimens differ from the European ones by a slight colora- 

 tion and a. shorter bill. This latter peculiarity, however, is very inconstant 

 in the present species ; and specimens from the Caspian, now in the Academy 

 of Sciences, have intermediate bills between East-Asiatic and European 

 birds. 



It is somewhat common in the mountain-plains of Mongolia, and breeds 

 in earthbanks and cracks in the ground. In the former case the nest is 

 constructed in rather a shallow hole, so that the eggs or young (from four to 

 six in number) can be seen from the entrance. The young birds leave their 

 nests in the end of May ; and in winter they associate in flocks of several 

 hundreds. We saw similar flocks at Muni-ul. 



It is generally distributed throughout Kan-su, is rather scarce at 

 Koko-nor, and occurs only occasionally in Northern Tibet, about Halha. 

 However, it is again common on the small hills of Gobi. 



