902 
STEEPSILAS INTERPRES. 
Ocean. It inhabits the Comoro Islands; and Mr. Newton observed it in the Seychelles at Curieuse, and also 
on the island of Rodriguez in September ; he likewise met with it in Madagascar, on the east coast, in the same 
month ; and from this island it is also recorded by Messrs. Schlegel and Ilartlaub. 
It migrates across the continent of Asia to the extreme north of Siberia ; but does not seem to have 
been noticed on the Ob or Yenesay. On its passage to Northern Asia it occurs in the north-west of Turkestan, 
and likewise traverses the highlands of Kashgaria, where it was met with in September by Dr. Henderson 
near Yarkand. On the Taimyr river, in lat. 73!/, it was seen by Yon MiddendorfF; he found it breeding 
there, and noticed that it had left that region by the 10th of August ; he also saw' it on the Boganida, and in 
the sea of Okhotsk met with it on Shantar Island. Dr. Dybowski says that it is not uncommon during 
migration in Kultuk. It is found in Japan, and is pretty common on the mainland, being also met with in 
Yezo. It does not seem to pass over the Mongolian territory on its way south in winter; and probably this is 
the reason why it is so scarce on the Burmese coasts. It is, however, found on the shores of China in winter, 
and visits Formosa and Hainan ; in the latter island Mr. Swinhoe found it in large numbers in March on the 
Poochin river. It does not seem to have been noticed in the Philippines ; but it has evidently been passed 
over there, as it is found in the Pelew group, further east ; and it has recently been obtained in the Admiralty 
Islands by the ‘ Challenger ’ naturalists. It is distributed throughout all the Malay archipelago, having been 
recorded from Borneo by several explorers, and also from Java, Banka, Timor, Ternate, Halmahera, Morotai, 
Ceram, and Celebes, in which latter island Dr. Meyer procured it in March. The large island of New 
Guinea is, as a matter of course, visited by it ; and from Torres Straits Gould records it in full summer 
plumage ; so that it is possible it may breed on some of the islands of the archipelago. It is found all round 
the coasts of Australia, extending to Tasmania. In New Zealand it was obtained in 1870 on the Ninety-mile 
Beach ; and since then Dr. Haast and Captain Hutton have procured it, in the latter case in summer plumage. 
It is found in New Caledonia ; and recently Lavard records it from Yiti Levu and the island of Koro, in Fiji. 
Mr. Leopold Layard also believes he saw it in the New Hebrides, from where Gray records it, as well as from 
Aneiteum. It has been obtained in the Samoa, the Viti, the Sandwich, and the Marianne groups, as also in 
the islands of Ponape and Niafou, and doubtless occurs throughout all Oceauica. 
Turning towards Europe, as regards its distribution in which I have space only for an outline, we find 
that it is common on the shores of the Caspian, a spring and autumn visitor on the coasts of the Black Sea 
and the sea-board of Greece, an occasional visitor to Turkey, that it appears irregularly in Malta and Gozo, 
occurring there in May, August, and September, a bird of passage in Sardinia and Sicily (in the former during 
the spring chiefly), and also that it is found in the Balearic Islands, in which Von Homeyer was informed 
that it bred. It is said to be rare in Italy. Looking towards the north of Europe, we find that it is a bird of 
passage in Belgium, and that it occurs chiefly in winter in Holland. In Denmark it arrives in spring and 
breeds in many localities ; and northward of this it is found more or less commonly on the shores of the Baltic, 
in the Gulf of Bothnia, on the coasts of Scandinavia and Northern Russia, extending to Nova Zembla, where 
Yon Baer met with it ; and further north still to Spitzbergen, where Professors Newton and Malmgren 
observed it in the month of July, and whence there is a specimen in the Stockholm Museum, procured by the 
collectors of the latter gentleman. It has also been observed in Central Russia during migration. In Great 
Britain it is common in spring and autumn; and on the west coast of Scotland it is seen as late as June, reap- 
pearing in August ; and it is believed to breed in the Shetlands and Hebrides. In the Faroes Capt. Feilden 
found it in pairs in June; and it very probably breeds in these islands, although he was unsuccessful 
in finding its eggs. It is common in Iceland from April until autumn; but it was also obtained by 
Faber there in December. It breeds both in North and South Greenland, and w'as obtained on Sabine Island 
by the last German Arctic expedition. During the expedition of 1875-76 Captain Feilden writes that it was 
found tolerably abundant in Smith Sound, and was observed as late as 5th September in lat. 82° 30' ; it was 
first noticed on the 5th of June near the winter- quarters of the ‘ Alert/ and by the 12th of August the young 
broods were able to fly. Returning to Europe, we are told that it is tolerably numerous on the coasts of 
France in autumn, but rare on those of Portugal ; and in the south of Spain Col. Irby has observed it in 
spring and autumn. According to Favier it is found in Tangier in September and February, and occurs some- 
times on freshwater lakes. It occurs in Algeria during migration, and has been recently obtained at Damietta 
in Egypt. Von Heuglin met with it on the Red Sea in May and July ; and it likewise breeds there, as he saw 
