180 



As stated by Dr. Sharpe, Col. Biddulph found males breeding which had not attained the fully adult dress, 

 but were in plumage like the female, and he believes that the young plumage of the male, which 

 resembles that of the female, is retained till after the first breeding-season. 



The present species of Grosbeak inhabits the more elevated mountains from Transcaspia eastward 

 through the Himalayas to Szechuen. Mr. Zarudny found it common in the eastern portion of 

 the Kopepet-dagh range in Transcaspia ; and Messrs. Radde and Walter write (Vog. Transcasp. 

 p. 28) as follows : — " The fourteen specimens of this curious Finch which we collected were all 

 obtained high up in the mountains, in the Karange-dagh gorge, where the collector Rubansky 

 went to visit the Dom-tschi ponds. Dr. Walter met with it when ascending the Ak-dagh in May 

 1887 at the Kiirtseverdeh-tschesme springs and on the borders of the Guljuli plateau, where it 

 was extremely numerous in the junipers, especially on the steep precipices, where it certainly 

 breeds. It feeds exclusively on the resinous berries of Juniperus excelsa. During the summer 

 the same breeding-places are frequented by Tardus viscivorus, T. torquatus, Metoponia pusilla, 

 and Fringilla ccelebs, which also, it would appear, feed on these same berries. During the 

 forenoon, usually between 10 and 11 o'clock, all these birds came regularly to the small 

 watering-places to drink." 



Dr. Severtzoff records it from Turkestan, and according to Pleske (Rev. Turk. Faun. p. 16) 

 a large series of examples was obtained by Russoff at Wijukla-tau, near Saamin. 



Major Wardlaw Ramsay shot a pair among the deodars near the camp at Byan Kheyl, in 

 Afghanistan, on the 30th April ; and Mr. Oates (Faun, of Brit. Ind., Birds, ii. p. 200) gives its 

 range in British India as " the Himalayas from Gilgit to Sikhim, generally above 8000 feet, but 

 occasionally descending to 5000 feet." According to Col. John Biddulph (Str. Feath. ix. p. 346) 

 it is common in Gilgit at all seasons in the pine-forests above 8000 feet, seldom descending lower 

 even in winter, but on one occasion during the severe winter of 1877-78 he shot a pair at 5000 feet 

 elevation. Mandelli also obtained it in Sikhim. Col. Prjevalsky (B. of Mongolia, p. 296) states 

 that he met with it in the Ala-shan Mountains, Kan-su, and the southern Koko-nor mountain- 

 ranges, but it was not numerous in either range. In Kan-su it inhabits exclusively the juniper- 

 range, up to the upper border of bush-growth. The Ala-shan range, he adds, forms there 

 the northern limit of its range. Mr. Seebohm records it (Ibis, 1891, p. 374) from Western 

 Szechuen. 



With regard to its habits Zarudny writes (Bull. Soc. Mosc. iii. p. 795) that in Transcaspia it 

 frequents the juniper-zone, and feeds on the berries of this tree. He frequently killed specimens 

 which had the beak and head so covered with juniper-resin that he preferred not to skin them. 

 Its flight is strong and noisy, and consists of strongly-defined curves, but the flight is not long 

 sustained. It progresses awkwardly on the ground, where it is seldom seen. The call-note, 

 usually uttered when the bird is on the wing, consists of two notes, which may be rendered 

 tyou-deric, uttered jerkily, especially the former note. When wounded and captured it utters 

 loud harsh cries. It comes down to running water several times in the day, especially in the 

 morning and evening. It rarely bathes in the morning, but often during the heat of the day and 

 hot evenings. All the rest of the day it frequents the junipers, passing with ease from branch 

 to branch without fatiguing itself, and feeding on the berries. It passes the night amongst the 



