64 



by Mr. Odoardo Ferraqui, of Cremona, near that city, on the 7th November, 1883. The specimen 

 in question was sent to Professor Giglioli as a variety of Sylvia suhalpina, but he at once 

 recognized it as Sylvia nana, and it has been acquired for the Florence Museum, where it is 

 now deposited. 



Professor Menzbier informs me that one was killed by Mr. Zarudny in the Government of 

 Orenburg, in the Bish-Kopa district, on the 10th July, 18S3; and Mr. Nazaroff, when in 

 England, told me that he believed that it had been obtained more than once near Orenburg. 

 With regard to its range in Russia, Mr. Pleske says (Orn. Eoss. p. 137) that "Mr. Zarudny has 

 chronicled the most western occurrence on Eussian territory. He obtained a single example in 

 the Kirghis Steppes at Bisch-Kopa, and as he did not observe any other he considered it to be a 

 straggler. Nazaroff also (Bull. Mosc. ii. p. 371) recorded its occurrence in the same part of the 

 Kirghis Steppes, without, however, giving exact particulars regarding locality, so that it is not 

 improbable that this record may refer to the bird chronicled by Zarudny. Should we, however, 

 look on the above locality as an outpost merely of the range of the present species, we find that 

 it is of not uncommon occurrence in the district bounded in the north-east by the affluents of the 

 Syr-Darja and by the Caspian Sea in the south-west, and extends, therefore, from the Syr-Darja 

 through the desert of Kisyl-Kum, the former khanate of Khiva, to Transcaspia in the south, and 

 the Ust-Urt (or at least its southern portion) in the north. As we now proceed to enumerate 

 single occurrences, we must especially lay stress on the fact that Dr. Severtzoff means by 

 North-western Turkestan, where Sylvia nana occurs breeding, Karatau, the western Tian-schan, 

 the sources of the Arys, Keles, and Tschirtschik, and their affluents, and the lower part of 

 the Syr-Darja from the mouth of the Arys. Further towards the east, almost outside this 

 district, two specimens were collected in Kokand, and are now in the British Museum, having 

 been obtained from the Severtzoff collection. Our Museum also possesses a series of specimens 

 collected by Dr. Severtzoff in 1858 and 1859 in various localities along the Syr-Darja, as, for 

 instance, Bischarny, Djerentai, Kultus, on the Kara-kul, and at the springs of Iky-kui and 

 Chudaili. This bird appears to occur on the banks of the Syr-Darja to about 280 versts from its 

 mouth, as Dr. Severtzoff did not record it further to the west than at Karatugai. The original 

 specimen of Eversmann came from Eaim. In the district between Syr- and Amu-Darja, 

 Mag. Nikolski obtained two examples of Sylvia nana, one of which he procured only 150 versts 

 south of Kasalinsk. This contradicts, to some extent, Dr. Severtzoff's above-quoted opinion as 

 to its absence on the Syr-Darja west of Karatugai, which is very improbable, as the last 280 

 versts of the Syr-Darja would scarcely differ so much from the rest of the stream as to 

 form a barrier to the range of a Sylvia. Brofessor M. Bogdanoff records the present species from 

 the desert of Kisyl-kum on both of his journeys to Khiva (in 1873 and 1874). In the district 

 of the Amu-Darja Eiver the occurrences recorded are comparatively numerous. Our Museum 

 possesses a specimen from Petro-Alexandrovsk presented by Mr. Savenkoff. According to 

 Prof. M. Bogdanoff Sylvia nana occui*s in the valley of the above-named river ; and Mr. M. 

 Butleroff met with it by no means uncommonly in the district of Nukus, near the mouth of the 

 Amu-Darja, in the Aral Sea. That this Warbler occurs further west is, however, clear, for 

 Prof. M. Bogdanoff met with it in the deserts west of the Amu-Darja; and Butleroff refers to 

 specimens from Ust-Urt. As far as Transcaspia is concerned, we have only the one record by 



