204 THE SMEW. 
not notice it further south at the Koko-Nor. It is common 
in winter in Japan, and in Eastern and South-Eastern 
Siberia on passage, and some certainly breed there as 
Middendorff had evidence of this at Udskoj and the Shantar 
islands (in about 55 degrees, North Latitude) ; and Radde also 
says that some few remain to breed in the south of East 
Siberia, but where the bulk of the birds, seen in winter in 
China and India, breed, is still uncertain. In Eastern Turkestan 
they are merely winter visitants, and apparently pretty common, 
as everyone who has been at Yarkand at that season has 
procured or noticed them. In Western Turkestan it is also 
common in winter, (except inthe south-eastern districts,) and 
occurs in lakes up to an elevation of 4,000 feet. It has been 
observed in Afghanistan near Cabul, Ghazni, Khelat-i-Ghilzai 
and Kandahar, but not as yet in Beluchistan. St. John shot 
it at Teheran, and as it breeds in the neighbourhood of Astrachan, 
there can be no doubt that, though not included by either 
Ménétries or Eichwald in their lists, it does really occur on the 
Caspian. It appears to be found on the coasts of Asia Minor, 
and has been procured on that of Palestine. No one has yet 
observed it in Egypt, or anywhere in Northern Africa, except 
in Algeria and Tangiers,* where it is sazd@ to occur as a rare 
winter visitant. 
It occurs in winter as astraggler in Great Britain and Ireland, 
and is found at that season, or on passage, pretty well all over 
Europe, though chiefly near the coasts; but it only appears to 
breed in Northern and Eastern Finland and Northern and 
Eastern Russia, in the latter as far south as Astrachan. 
THE SMEW arrives late even in Upper India, and the earliest 
date on which I have noted having seen it, and that near Jhelum 
in the North-West Punjab, is the 3rd of November. It also, 
I think, leaves early, as the latest date on which I have killed 
it is the 27th of March. But it is, comparatively speaking, rare 
and very irregular in its migrations, there being scarcely a 
dozen places, that I know of, where you are always sure of 
finding it, even between the 1st December and the end of 
February, so that I cannot speak with any great certainty. 
Comparatively few old malesareseen in India. I have num- 
bers of notes like the following :—“Soj (south of the Mainpure 
District)—February 3rd, one adult, three young males, two 
females, out of a flock containing three adult males and twenty or 
more females and young.” —WNazafegarh [hil,30th December 1867. 
—“A large flock, between thirty and forty, but containing only 
four black and white males. Had only a common heavy native 
“ doongah” (row-boat), and could never get within one hundred 
“ Vide Dresser, who says that Irby records it thence ; but Irby says nothing about 
it in his Orn, S. of Gib., p. 200. 
