SUSHKIN: NOTES ON PALAEARCTIC BIRDS.
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River; northern limit: Argun River; probably eastern Sayan (in winter near Irkutsk); ranges around Lake Kosogol and eastern part of Tannoo-ola; basin of Kobdo and southeast of Russian Altai (sources of Chuia River). Not in the rest of Russian Altai or Sayan. HABITAT: stony slopes and low cliffs amidst the open country, often in the subalpine or alpine zone, sometimes amidst a desert landscape; avoids bush and wooded country; vertical range in Altai and Mongolia 1400-2400 meters, in Himalaya nearly up to 5000 meters. Seasonal migration mostly restricted to the vertical ones. Being connected by its habitat with mountain ranges, is discontinuously distributed, which favors development of local forms. GEOGRAPHICAL FORMS.
fulvescens SEVERTZ.—Adult male in autumn: above of a reddish-gray color, between drab and hair brown or a little more reddish; back and scapulars with diluted brown centers; nape without markings; rump and supracaudals drab, not marked. Crown of a dull and dark reddish brown (near to benzo brown), darker on the sides; supercilium creamy white; earcoverts fuscous black. Quills and greater and middle wingcoverts of a dull grayish brown (between hair brown and chsetura drab), edged with dull buffy brown; lesser wing-coverts mousegray. Sides of the neck feebly suffused with cinereous. Below of a light cinnamon buff (between pinkish cinnamon and cinnamon buff); center of the throat, of the belly, and under tail-coverts paler—pale pinkish buff—presenting no strong contrast with the chest and sides of the body. Under tail-coverts with large, scarcely concealed dark centers; sides of the belly with diffuse dark streaks about 1 mm. across. Under side of carpus with dark, not quite concealed centers of feathers. Female grayer and paler, crown of an uneven color, individual feathers being darker along the shafts producing an obscurely striped appearance. DISTRIBUTION: whole of the Russian Turkestan as far northeast as ranges around Issyk-kul, but the mountains bordering Zerafshan valley excluded (what form inhabits the Dzungarian Ala-tau is unknown); Pamir; Kashmir (many specimens in British Museum from Gilgit, and Astor south of Gilgit); Ladak, Khardong (the only specimen—British Museum—strongly