46 



examples, said to belong to the present species, obtained in East Finmark in 1850, came into 

 Schrader's hands : with this exception, there are only two instances of its having been obtained 

 within the limits of the Western Palsearctic Eegion; and in both instances the specimens were 

 in immature dress. The first of these birds was found in December 1842, amongst a sledge- 

 load of game from Herjeadale, in Northern Sweden; and the second was caught alive a little to 

 the westward of Pitea in October 1850, and sent to the Museum at Stockholm in August 1851. 

 Here it was kept alive by Mr. Meves, the curator, until 1853, when, having attained its full 

 plumage, it was killed and stuffed, and is now in the Museum. 



It has been suggested that the second specimen on record from Sweden must have been one 

 which was brought in some vessel from Japan or China and let loose; but this seems to be 

 improbable. Dr. Sundstrom, writing to me on the subject, says, " I have used every endeavour 

 to gather information so as to throw light on the occurrence of this bird at Pitea; and Mr. J. P. 

 Pettersson, who is now cashier to the ' Stockholm's Dagblad,' to whom I applied, furnished me 

 with data from which I wrote an article in the ' Svenska Jagarforbundets Nya Tidskrift ' in 1869, 

 in which I endeavoured to show as nearly as possible how matters stand with regard to this bird. 

 Mr. Pettersson placed at my disposal a letter from Professor Sundevall, dated 9th September, 

 1851, and the following statement in writing, viz. : — ' In October 1850 the bird in question was 

 caught at a peasant's farm in Svensby, about a mile and a half (Swedish) west of Pitea. I do not 

 recollect the mode of capture ; but one day in that month a little girl brought the bird to me at 

 Prins Carl's wharf in Pitea. It was in a cage ; and the child told me that her parents had sent 

 her with it, thinking that it must be one of my tame Pigeons, as I kept forty or fifty of these 

 tame Pigeons. As I felt sure that the bird was something rare, I kept it, and wrote to Professor 

 Sundevall about it, promising to send it to the Academy of Sciences the following summer, but was 

 not able to fulfil my promise before the following August. On receipt of it Professor Sundevall 

 wrote to say that it was a Chinese or Japanese bird, &c. &c. It certainly could not have been 

 brought to the latitude of Pitea (65° 19' 13" N. lat.) by any vessel from China or Japan, because 

 I am sure that no vessel from the China seas has ever come to any harbour above Stockholm. 

 Besides, when I received the bird it was certainly a wild one, and showed no signs of having been 

 kept in a cage ; and it remained very shy during the whole time I had it in my possession. Had 

 the bird been in a cage during so long a journey as from China or Japan, it would probably not 

 have been the only bird of the species on board, and it would also have been more tame, and 

 would have shown signs of captivity ; but the whole time I kept it it remained wild, and would 

 not agree with other Pigeons I kept in confinement.' This statement was signed by Mr. Pettersson 

 at Stockholm, under date 15th October, 1869. From this it will be seen that the bird was found 

 far north in our country, and not near any of the harbours where vessels arrive from China or 

 Japan. On the other hand, it was not far north of the locality whence the specimen purchased 

 in the flesh at Stockholm in 1842 came, Jemtland or Herjeadale (the former according to letter, 

 and the latter according to information in print from Professor Sundevall). This second specimen 

 was caught in a wooded locality west of Pitea, where there were no other Pigeons or Doves, either 

 tame or wild ; and whilst Mr. Pettersson had it in his possession he could not get it to consort 

 with any other Pigeons, though he tried to get it to do so, hoping that it would pair with one 

 of them." 



