5602 Birds. 



him on the subject, he has kindly given me information concerning 

 those which neither Dr. William Carte nor myself had observed, 

 which, in many cases, was only what he had been told by others who 

 had killed or only seen the birds ; there were also a number of others 

 which he observed, but of which he did not obtain specimens, and 

 therefore I say that, although Lieut. Irby's list contains much valuable 

 information, still all the birds included in it cannot be taken as cer- 

 tain, so that, in drawing up my notes, I can notice those only which 

 appear well authenticated. 



Tetraonidce. 



Now, although I have on many occasions, while in the Crimea, 

 observed what I considered was the partridge {Perdix cinerea), and. 

 moreover have been told by many that they had shot this bird, yet I 

 would not stake my life upon the fact of its being an inhabitant of the 

 Crimea, for fear that the bird which I had observed, and of which 

 numbers were shot by casual observers at Kertch, might be only 

 a closely allied species, and therefore I could not include it in 

 the true list without having closely examined and compared speci- 

 mens. 



I was told by a friend of mine that, in April, he saw a Frenchman 

 with some redlegged partridges, which he said that he had shot near 

 the Mackenzie Heights. Of course I am in doubt as to which of 

 several species this was, but Lieut. Irby says that he is certain of 

 Perdix rubra. 



I heard that several officers had observed what were said to be sand 

 grouse on the plains to the north of Sebastopol, and in " Russia, on 

 the shores of the Black Sea and Sea of Azof," Seymour says that 

 " the ' Streppet,' of larger size and lighter hue than the grouse, the only 

 English bird to which it can be compared," is to be met with on the 

 " steppes of the Crimea in numbers." What can this be ? 



The quail [Perdix coturnix) is but a passing visitor to the southern 

 extremity of the Crimea, although some may remain to breed on the 

 plains in the interior. In August the flights of cranes drew my atten- 

 tion to migration, and happening to think of the quail I was ever on 

 the look-out for their arrival from the north, and the first I observed 

 was on the 13th of September, when one flew past me, but at the time 

 I was not aware what it was ; however, my doubts were cleared up 

 the next morning, by my putting up a couple within a few yards of 

 my tent ; I therefore started off with my gun, and soon procured two 

 couple : all I found rose singly from almost under my feet, some on 



