CHAP. XVIII JAPAN AND FORMOSA 398 



Japan as regards birds ; for there are also thrushes, robins, 

 stonechats, wrens, hedge-sparrows, sedge-warblers, jays, 

 starlings, swifts, goatsuckers, and some others, whicli, 

 though distinct species from our own, have the same 

 general appearance, and give a familiar aspect to the 

 ornithology. There remains, however, a considerable body 

 of Chinese and Siberian species, which link the islands to 

 the neighbouring parts of the continent ; and there are 

 also a few which . are Malayan or Himalayan rather than 

 Chinese, and thus afford us an interesting problem in 

 distribution. 



The seventeen species and sub-species which are 

 altogether peculiar to Japan proper, are for tlie most part 

 allied to birds of North China and Siberia, but three are 

 decidedly tropical, and one of them — a fruit pigeon (Treron 

 sieloldi) — has no close ally nearer than Burmah and the 

 Himalayas. In the following list the affinities of the species 

 are indicated wherever they have been ascertained : — 



List of the Species of Land Birds peculiar to Japan. 



1. Accentor rubidus. Nearly allied to our hedge-sparrow, and less closely 



to the Central Asian A. immaculatus. 

 (la. Hypsipetes amaurotis. Migrates to the Corea, otherwise peculiar.) 



2. Zoster 02^8 japonica. An Oriental genus. Allied to Chinese species. 



3. Lusciniola pryeri. 



4. Garrulus japonicus. Allied to the Siberian and British jays. 



5. Fringilla kawaraliiha. Allied to the Chinese greenfinch. 



6. Emheriza ciopsis. Allied to the E. Siberian bunting K cioideSj of 



which it may be considered a sub-species. 



7. Emheriza yessoensis. A distinct species. 



8. ,,• persona*a. A sub-species of E, spodocephala. 



9. Gecinus awokera. A distinct species of green woodpecker. 



10. Picus namiyci. Allied to a Formosan species. 



11. Treron sieholdi. Allied to T. sphenura of the Himalayas, and to a 



Formosan species. 



12. Carpophaga ianthina. A distinct species of fruit-pigeon. 



13. Bubo UaMstoni. Allied to a Philippine eagle-owl. 



1 4. Scops semitorgues. A distinct species 



15. Phasianus versicolor. A distinct species. 



16. ,, soemmeringi, A distinct species. 



17. ,, scintiUaus. A sub-species of the last. 



In addition to the above, the large number of seventeen 

 peculiar species in the outlying Benin and Loo Choo 

 Islands is an interesting feature of Japanese ornithology. 



