493 
Caspian Sea and the Elburz Mountains. 
This is interesting confirmation of Blanford’s definition of 
the Caspian region as ending with the forest on the slopes 
of the Elburz Mountains. It would thus seem that climatic 
conditions and consequent changes in environment are 
responsible for the division rather than the actual mountain- 
harrier. 
In the following pages I have referred to Blanford’s 
c Eastern Persia/ vol. ii. as B. for the sake of brevity, and in 
the same way my articles in the ‘Ibis’ for 1903 and 1907 
are referred to as W. 1903 and W. 1907. An asterisk 
prefixed to either of these initials indicates that no specimen 
of the bird in question was obtained. 
Falco jEsalon Tunstall. [*B. 105.] 
$. March 22, south coast, Caspian Sea. 
This specimen is very pale and has very few stripes on the 
breast. 
The Merlin does not appear to have been recorded hitherto 
from Persia. It is probably only a winter visitor to the 
northern parts of that country. 
Accipiter nisus (L.). [B. 109. W. 1907, p. 77.] 
$ . Feb. 16, S. coast, Caspian Sea. 
“ A few Sparrow-Hawks were seen in the forests of 
Mazandaran, but this was not at all a common bird.”— 
B. B. W. 
Scops giu (Scop.). [B. 115. W. 1903, p. 560.] 
Three in May from the Elburz Mts. (near Tehran, alt. 
7000 ft.). 
“ Not seen on the north side of the mountains.”— 
B.B.W. 
Syrnium aluco aluco (L.). [W. 1903, p. 560.] 
£. April 5, S. coast, Caspian Sea. 
“The only specimen seen; we never heard them at 
night.”—B. B. W. 
This is a dark brown example with scarcely any rufous, 
and is much striated on the breast and particularly dark on 
the nape and mantle. It is thus very different from the 
pale and faintly marked Tawny Owl which I obtained in 
