492 
Mr. H. F. Witherby on Birds from the 
The journey undertaken by Col. Bailward and Mr. Woosnam 
on this occasion was made between February 12th and 
May 20th,, 1907. They proceeded along the south coast of 
the Caspian Sea from Resht to Bundar Gez on Asterabad 
Bay, thus passing through the provinces of Gilan and 
Mazandaran. From Bundar Gez they struck south across 
the Elburz Mountains to Tehran, passing Mount Demavend. 
From Tehran they proceeded along the highroad back to 
Resht, down the great valley of the Sufid Rud. 
The collection is especially interesting as shewing a very 
sharp distinction between the Avifauna of the Persian 
Plateau and that of the Caspian Provinces. Although this 
distinction was clearly pointed out by Blanford (in his 
e Eastern Persia it is, nevertheless, still more clearly 
demonstrated by a deeper study of nearly allied races. 
Taking the more sedentary birds, we find the following 
closely allied forms divided by the Elburz Mountains 
Caspian Region. 
Syrnium aluco aluco. 
Dendrocopus major poelzami. 
Dendrocopus minor danfordi. 
Gecinus vii'idis viridis. 
Cinclus cinclus caucasicus. 
Sitta europcea ccesia. 
Sitta neumayeri neumayeri. 
Parus major major. 
Parus lugubris hyrcanus. 
Persian Plateau. 
Syrnium aluco sancti-incolai. 
Dendrocopus major syi'iacus. 
Dendrocopus minor morgani. 
Gecinus viridis innominatus. 
Cinclus cinclus persicus. 
Sitta europcea persica. 
Sitta neumayeri tschitscherini. 
Parus major blanfordi. 
Parus lugubris dubius. 
A number of European birds also migrate to the Caspian 
provinces in winter, and do not seem to penetrate the 
mountain - barrier, while the generally more European 
character of the birds of this region as compared to those of 
the Plateau is very marked. 
As to where the dividing-line lies, Mr. Woosnam remarks : 
“ So soon as the northern afforested slopes of the Elburz 
range are passed we come quite suddenly into the dry 
barren rocky country typical of the central and southern 
plateau of Persia. Immediately all the plateau birds so 
familiar in the Zagros Mountains and elsewhere appear.” 
