Almost all the genera of central and northern Europe are found here, and give quite a European character to the ornithology, though a considerable number of the species are different. There are a few Oriental forms, such as _Abrornis_ and _Larvivora_ (warblers); with _Ceriornis_ and _Ithaginis_, genera of pheasants, which reach the snow-line in the Himalayas and thus just enter this sub-region, but as they do not penetrate farther north, they hardly serve to modify the exclusively Palæarctic character of its ornithology. According to Middendorf, the extreme northern Asiatic birds are the Alpine ptarmigan (_Lagopus mutus_); the snow-bunting (_Plectrophanes nivalis_); the raven, the gyrfalcon and the snowy-owl. Those which are characteristic of the barren "tundras," but which do not range so far north as the preceding are,--the willow-grouse (_Lagopus albus_); the Lapland-bunting (_Plectrophanes {220}lapponica_); the shore-lark (_Otocorys alpestris_); the sand-martin (_Cotyle riparia_), and the sea-eagle (_Haliæetus albicilla_). Those which are more characteristic of the northern forests, and which do not pass beyond them, are--the linnet; two crossbills (_Loxia Leucoptera_ and _L. Curvirostra_); the pine grosbeak (_Pinicola enucleator_); the waxwing; the common magpie; the common swallow; the peregrine falcon; the rough-legged buzzard; and three species of owls. Fully one-half of the land-birds of Siberia are identical with those of Europe, the remainder being mostly representative species peculiar to Northern Asia, with a few stragglers and immigrants from China and Japan or the Himalayas. A much larger proportion of the wading and aquatic families are European or Arctic, these groups having always a wider range than land birds. _Reptiles and Amphibia._--From the nature of the country and climate these are comparatively few, but in the more temperate districts snakes and lizards seem to be not uncommon. _Halys_, a genus of Crotaline snakes, and _Phrynocephalus_, lizards of the family Agamidæ, are characteristic of these parts. _Simotes_, a snake of the family Oligodontidæ, reaches an elevation of 16,000 feet in the Himalayas, and therefore enters this sub-region. _Insects._--_Mesapia_ and _Hypermnestra_, genera of Papilionidæ, are butterflies peculiar to this sub-region; and _Parnassius_ is as characteristic as it is of our European mountains. Carabidæ are also abundant, as will be seen by referring to the Chapter on the Distribution of Insects in the succeeding part of this work. The insects, on the whole, have a strictly European character, although a large proportion of the species are peculiar, and several new genera appear. _IV.--Japan and North China, or the Manchurian Sub-region._