43 [Vol. xiv. 



at the lower Irghiz and lower Turga'i on passage only, but 

 do not breed there. The true S. minuscula, Hume, does not 

 breed north of the valley of Syr-Darya, and only appears in 

 the Kirghiz Steppe as a very rare straggler. 



The Stone-Sparrow (Petronia petronia, L.) of the Middle 

 Kirghiz Steppe proved to be a pale Asiatic form, Petronia 

 petronia brevirostris, Dyb. This subspecies penetrates to the 

 west as far as the lower course of the Ural. The Stone- 

 Sparrows of Turkestan also belong to this form. Persian 

 specimens are not to be distinguished from European ones. 



b. Western part of Sayan range (89°-94° long. E. of 

 Greenwich) and the adjacent country. 



ClNCLUS CINCLUS BTANCHII, n. Subsp. 



Albiventris, C. leucogastro similis, sed capite dorsoque 

 superiore murino-brunneis, minime rufescentibus, inter- 

 scapulio, imo, dorso inferiore uropygioque schistaceis, 

 distincte nigro squamulatis. Scapularibus schistaceo 

 tinctis, interdum nigro indistincte squamatis. 

 Hab. Jugum Sayan omne, versus orientem usque ad 



laecum Baical. 



ClNCLUS CINCLUS MIDDENDORFFI, n. Subsp. 



C. sordido similis, sed scapularibus, dorso inferiore uropy- 

 gioque obscure brunneis, nee cinerascentibus et minime 

 squamulatis ; tectricibus alse minoribus saturate brun- 

 neis, cinereo haud marginatis. 

 Hab. Jugi Sayan pars media. 



Obs. C. bianchii is perhaps the most common Dipper of 

 the Sayan range, but does not penetrate farther north, 

 or westwards to Altai. I procured four specimens on the 

 Sayan range, received nine more from my correspondent, 

 and thirteen specimens from Dr. Lorenz obtained at Lake 

 Baical. C. middendorffi seems to be very scarce. I got two 

 specimens from my correspondent ; a third specimen was 

 received by Middendorff from his correspondents, and is- 

 preserved in the Zoological Museum of the St. Petersburg 

 Academy. It cannot be considered as a hybrid between 

 C. baicalensis and one of the dark-breasted Dippers, because 

 none of the latter exist in the locality. 



