225 



plains on the Udir River above the Bureja Mountains. Maack obtained a female in Nertschinsk 

 on the 21st April (O.S.). 



According to Taczanowski it is resident in Eastern Siberia ; and Godlewski states that it is 

 tolerably common in the Southern Baikal, in Dauria, and the Ussuri country to the coasts of the 

 Sea of Japan. Mr. F. Dorries says (J. f. O. 1888, p. 85) that he found it "common in spring 

 on Askold, where it arrives about the middle of March, and it was also observed on the island in 

 the late autumn, but it migrates southwards in the winter. In the Suiffun and Ussuri districts 

 it also appears early in March in flocks of ten to twelve individuals. We observed it on the 

 Bykien in summer. It would appear that it breeds in the Ussuri district." Taczanowski 

 records it (P. Z. S. 1887, p. 606) from Corea, and I have received specimens from there collected 

 by Mr. Campbell. 



With regard to its southern range, both Severtzoff and Pleske state that it is found in 

 Turkestan ; and the former says that it is common on passage, but rare in the winter, and he 

 thinks that it may possibly breed in the more elevated portions of the country. Col. Prjevalski 

 speaks of it as being very common in South-eastern Mongolia, and he obtained specimens at 

 Ala-shan, but did not observe it in Kan-su. It appears to be found throiighout a considerable 

 portion of China; the Rev. H. H. Slater (Ibis, 1882, p. 434) recorded specimens from Szechuen ; 

 Mr. Maries obtained it in the Ichang Gorge, on the Yangtze River; Styan states (Ibis, 1891, 

 p. 354) that it breeds at Kiukiang ; Svvinhoe records it from Amoy ; and Mr. de la Touche speaks 

 of it (Ibis, 1892, p. 428) as being " common in the Foochow district from the beginning of 

 September to the late spring. I strongly suspect that it breeds in the district. Also obtained 

 near Swatow." 



With regard to the Chinese and Mongolian birds which Dr. Sharpe (Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xii. 

 p. 544) separates from typical E. cioides under the name of E. castaneiceps, Mr. Seebohm also 

 remarks (Ibis, 1889, p. 296) that the characters given by Dr. Sharpe will not hold good, as males in 

 his collection from Jenesei vary in length of wing from 3-5 to 3T inches, and those in the Swinhoe 

 collection from China from 3T to 2*9 inches, that more than half his Jenesei specimens lack the 

 tiny black spot on the chin, and that some Chinese examples have more white on the outer tail- 

 feathers than a selected few of the Jenesei skins; he further adds that the British-killed bird 

 "lacks the black spot on the chin, that the wing and tail measure each exactly 3 inches, and 

 that the white on the outer tail-feathers is so nearly intermediate between the two extremes that 

 it would pass for either of them." 



I am indebted to the Rev. H. H. Slater for the loan of six specimens from China, which I 

 have carefully compared with my series, and can detect no difference except in size, the Chinese 

 birds being on an average somewhat smaller than those from Siberia, but in plumage they do 

 not differ. The four adult males in Mr. Slater's collection measure — culmen 0-4 to 0-45 inch, 

 wing 3-05 to 3-25, tail 2-9 to 30, and tarsus 0-30 to 0-85. 



In Japan the present species is replaced by a closely allied form, Emberiza ciopsis, Bp., 

 which differs in having the ear-coverts black instead of chestnut. 



With regard to the habits of the present species Dr. Dybowski says that in Eastern Siberia 

 it frequents the slopes of the mountains, especially those facing the south, and localities which 

 are but sparsely covered with trees. Godlewski also states that it frequents the southern 



