Charadrius placidus japonicus, subsp. nov. Japanese Long-billed Ringed Plover Character: Smaller than continental birds, C. p. placidus, in measurements particularly of the wing (see text), and otherwise similar.
Holotype: _??_ad. Tamagawa, Tokyo. 20 November, 1953. Mishima Collection, No. 1037.
Range: Japan.
Remarks: 32_??__??_ and 30_??__??_ japanese specimens were compared with 8_??__??_ China. Manchurian and 6_??__??_ Korean examples, and the measurements of continental specimens given by Baker ('29), La Touche ('33), Shaw ('36) and Meise ('34) were referred (see text).

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Records of 26 rare species mostly collected by the author are given, each with measurements and with notes on sight records, locally owned specimens, etc. to some species. See text for each record.

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No substantiated nesting record for the Japanese Sparrow-hawk, Accipiter virgatus (Temminck & Schlegel), has hitherto been known in Japan. The writer found its nests and eggs at the foot of Mt. Fuji. Green leaves of Chamaecyparis were used on the sitting bed and this was the main difference from the nests of other hawks.
Locality 1. Takinodai, Subashiri-mura, Sunto-gun, Shizuoka; at 800m. of altitude, in the mixed coniferous forest of Abies firma, Chamaecyparis obtusa, and Larix Kapferi. The nest was on a fork of tree trunk, 7m. above the ground. Date: 27 May, 1954.
Locality 2. Nishiyama, Oyama-machi, Sunto-gun, Shizuoka; in the coniferous forest of Cryptomeria japonica (Fig. 1 and 2). Date: 14 August, 1954.
One of the eggs of this species is shown in Fig. 3, with that of Accipiter nisus nisosimilis (Tickell), and the measurements are:
A. virgatus 34.5×28.5mm. 14.5g.
35.5×29.0mm. 16.0g.
A. n. nisosimilis 41.0×2.5mm. 23.0g.
40.0×33.0mm. 23.5g.
40.5×33.0mm. 24.0g.

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According to "A Hand-list of the Japanese Birds, " (first edition 1922) only Tsushima (with question mark) is known as a habitat of the Chinese Egret (Egretta eulophotes) in Japan. This information is quoted in many other books published later.
The above information seems to have originated in "Hartert: -Die Vogel der Palaarktischen Fauna" (Vol. II, 1920). Here he described "Nach Jouy auch auf Tsuschima order in Korea vorgekommen." However Clark informs that only "A male of this species was secured at Fusan, Korea, on April 25, 1886 by Mr. Jouy" in his "Report on a collection of Birds, made by Pierre Louis Jouy in Korea" (Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., Vol. 38-1911). Accordingly Hartert's information can be considered wrong. Besides the above, there is no specimen record in any other reports written by Japanese as well as foreign ornithologists. The Chinese Egret, thus, should have been omitted from Japanese fauna.
However, in 1956. during the later part of April and the later part of June, I could often observe this species in Osaka Bay and, luckily enough, collected an adult female. This is the first record of this species from Japan and a new addition for our avifauna.

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The specimen records of this species so far been known in Japan are a male from Hachijo Island(Nov.1, 1929)and another unsexed skin(undated) from Chiba, both of which are in Momiyama's collection.
Besides the above, another sight record is known from Chiba on Nov. 1, 1955 by S. Takano.
In 1956, however, I was able to make the following observations and collected three females in breeding plumage in Osaka Bay.
May 20: An adult female collected.
Jane 3: Three observed and two adult females collected.

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On the 30th November, 1954, wright after a typhoon(maximum wind-velocity 42.4m/sec.)has passed, a live specimen(_??_imm.)of Fregata minor minor (Gm.)was obtained on a hill in Hachijo I.It died in a few days, now being kept as specimen at Nakanogo School. This forms the first stray record of this species to Japan. Notes on plumage and known records are given.

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On November 10, 1955, a Bustard, Otis tarda dybowski Tacz., which was fighting against three Brown-eared Kites, Milvus migrans, was captured at Koshino-mura, Nihu-gun, Fukui. After having been kept alive at Fukui Museum, it died on the 19th (Nov.) to be preserved there as specimen. Its measurements, etc. are given.

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The author visited Kushiro Museum, Hokkaido, June6, 1954. Out of 232 specimens in exhibition, data on an albino Hokkaido jay and some species are reported.

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In the medieval Japan a wide area "Otakaba" (Hawking preserve) was maintained around Tokyo (then called Edo). It resulted to protect large birds, Cranes, Stork, and Japanese Ibis. The Stork nested commonly on the big trees and roofs of temples, of which at least five names are found in literature, for example, "Kojiruien." After Meiji Restoration, 1890, it became restricted to Tsuruyama in Hyogo, where was made a Natural Monument in 1919. Although a high of 30 individuals had been recorded thereafter, only a total of 16 birds including five fledglings were counted in 1955.

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