5*2 Dr. O. FinseKs Ornithological Letters. 
A most welcome addition to our collection was a beautiful 
species of Emberiza, allied to E. rutila, but larger, and, so far 
as I can judge at present, E. icterina. This species, which we 
afterwards found on the north-western part of the Altai, be¬ 
hind Serianowsk, is almost restricted in its range to places 
where the peculiar steppe-grass, the Tschid, grows. I was 
surprised to find Passer domesticus to be the common Spar¬ 
row of all the villages. 
During our second visit to Ala-kul we observed Ibis faid- 
nellus, many Cormorants, apparently of the common species, 
Grus virgo, Glareola torquata, and on the steppe Coracias 
garrula and Merops apiaster. Near Urdschar the song of 
the Nightingale ( Luscinia philomela) was heard in the willow 
trees, and a Butcher-bird was procured like Lanius arenarius. 
In crossing the Tarbagatai Mountains we had to traverse 
several plateaux with steppe-like character. We obtained 
the young of Grus virgo , and saw many Eagles, apparently 
A. fulva and A. imperialis. Ascending the Tarbagatai to Sais- 
san, we found Pastor roseus abounding in the rocky ravines : 
one flock was estimated to contain a thousand birds; and a 
single shot killed twenty-five of them. 
In Saissan, where we resided from the 27th to the 30th of 
May, I had only time to make one excursion to the rocky 
mountains which surround the little town. Dr. Brehm, how¬ 
ever, and Count Waldburg made a trip with a Kirgis hunter 
to the Manrack Mountains, in order to shoot Megaloperdix, 
of which Dr. Brehm wae fortunate enough to secure one. 
It does not belong to the Altai species ( M . altaicus ), but may 
perhaps be the same as Tetraogalius nigelli. Some specimens 
of a fine species of Ruticilla , unknown to me, were secured, 
and a fine species of Linaria, apparently the same as the 
Himalayan bird. It was afterwards observed in the high 
Altai. During this time I shot Muscicapa grisola, the only 
species of Flycatcher seen during our whole journey; I also 
obtained Saxicola leucomela , a species of Emberiza, and a 
Carpodacus allied to C. githagineus, both apparently new. 
From Saissan we went to the Kara Irtisch, and down 
this beautiful river to the Nor-Saissan, a magnificent lake, 
