234 CASARCA FERRUGINEA 



(Tristram, 1860) in elevated plains, and in the Atlas (Sclater and Salvin, 1859) as well as on the sea- 



eoast (Whitaker, 1905). Farther east the species occurs in Egypt, primarily in winter (Nicoll, 1919), 



though very likely it breeds in the Nile Delta and the Fayum as von Heuglin (1873) conjectured. 



There is considerable question as to its breeding in Greece. Powys (1860) says it is rare in Corfu, 



but von der Miihle (1844) says it is seen late in the spring. According to Lindermayer 

 Greece 



(1860) it is to be found only in severe winters. At any rate it breeds in Macedonia 



Balkan (Kriiper, 1862; Sladen, 1918) and in the eastern Balkans (Elwes and Buckley, 1870). 



states j t j g an eS p ec i a ]iy common bird on the Lower Danube, below Nicopolis, and 



throughout the Dobrudja (Reiser, 1894; Petenyi, 1884; Sintenis, 1877; von Almasy, 1898). 

 Lintia (1909) reports it for Rumania and Radakoff (1879) says it is common in Bessarabia and the 

 Pruth region. It no doubt breeds commonly on the Lower Dnieper and Don. Such is the test- 

 imony of Pallas (1831), von Nordmann (1840) and Mbschler (1853). Radde (1854) says it is abun- 

 dant on the Sea of Azov, and states that it is of common occurrence in the Crimea. Czernay (1852) 

 has reported it for Charkow and Ekaterinoslaw. According to Valkh (1911) it breeds rarely in the 

 eastern, but commonly in the southern parts of the latter government. 



The species breeds also in Palestine (Tristram, 1884), in Cyprus (Lilford, 1889), in Asia Minor 

 (Danford, 1878; Selous, Ibis, ser. 7, vol. 6, pp. 410, 419, 1900), in northern Mesopotamia (Neumann, 

 1915), at Babylon and Bagdad (Jones and Loftus, Journ. f. Ornith., vol. 63, p. 119, 1915), at Erzerum 

 Asia (Radde, 1854; P. McGregor, 1917) and commonly in Armenia (Nesterov, 1911). In 



Minor j ne Caucasus it breeds regularly in suitable places (Seebohm, 1883), especially on the 



Kura River and Gotschai Lake (Radde, 1854). North of the Caspian it is evidently a very com- 

 mon breeding bird. Becker (1853) reports it so on the Volga up to Sarepta, while Sabanaeff (Harvie- 

 Brown, 1878), an authority, gives Samara as its northern limit in this region. At any rate it is 

 abundant in Astracan (Cornelius, 1865; Seebohm, 1882) and likewise throughout the entire steppe 

 region north of the Aral Sea (Suschkin, 1914; Nazarow, 1887). In Transcaspia, too, it has been 

 repeatedly reported as breeding: on the Murghab and Teshen Rivers (Zarudny, 1889-90), at Merv 

 (Radde and Walter, 1889) and on the southeastern Caspian (Zarudny, 1889-90). Molcanov (1912) 

 took young birds at the mouth of the Amu Daria. 



It breeds in suitable localities throughout the entire Persian region. According to Zarudny (1911) 

 it is found there in the Atrek, north and south Chorassan, Parapamis, Seistan, Kubistan-Kirnian and 

 p . Zagross regions. It is also recorded for northwest Persia by Radde (1886) and Stan- 



chinsky (1914) ; for the southwest, and for the south, by St. John (fide Dresser, 1871-81). 

 Zarudny (1911) says it breeds in the north but not in the south of Baluchistan. Baker (1908) states 

 that it is found in Afghanistan in summer, and there can be no doubt as to the correctness of the 

 statement. 



In the western Himalayas, the North Iranian Chain, Kashmir, Pamir, Buchara, Kashgaria, and 

 the Tyan-shan, it is exceptionally common, and is found breeding at heights varying from 10,000 to 

 Western 18,000 feet. Loudon (1910) records it for Merv and Buchara, and Henderson and 



Himalayas Hume (1873), as well as Sharpe (1891) and Scully (1876), for Yarkand (16,000 feet). 

 Sharpe (1889) gives it for Hari-Rud River, Afghanistan. Its abundance in Pamir and Turkestan 

 is attested by Walton (1906), Severtzoff (1883), Alcock (1897), Lansdell (1885) and Schalow (1908). 

 Koslow (1899) gives it for Kashgaria. In the Tyan-shan it is everywhere abundant (Smallbones, 1906; 

 Schalow, 1908; Lonnberg, 1905; Koslow, 1899). But its breeding range extends even farther north, 

 covering not only the great steppe region of central Asia, but also the Altai, Sajan, and other ranges 

 Central eastward and north to far beyond Lake Baikal. Hesse (1913) reports it for Lake Telz- 



^ Sla ker and the eastern Altai, while Finsch (1879) found it about Arkatberg, Chinchili, 



Saissan, Semipalatinsk and everywhere on the steppes; on the Ala-Kul, though not on the Saissan- 

 Nor, nor in the southern Altai. It was found on the Marka-Kul and was common in the northern 

 Altai to Siranowsk (Finsch, 1879). Suschkin (1913) states that it breeds about Minussinsk, in southern 



