Key to species and subspecies in the genus Amazona (Psittacidae) is given here for identification of scientific skins and cage birds. The present key is enumerated from those of Salvadori's Catalogue (1891), Bates and Busenbark's (1951)and so on.

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[in Japanese]

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Notes on 36 hitherto unrecorded and rare birds noted during 1946 and 1962in Miyagi, Honshiu are described. Wing and tail moulting of Buteo lagopus is included.

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1. The breeding ecology of Calonectris leucomelas at Kamurijima I. on the Japan Sea coast of Honshiu is reported based on 20 visits and 42 days of research. Specimens strayed into inland during post-breeding season was also studied.
2. Breeding season sets in from late February and the island is abandoned from early to late November.
3. They feed on the ocean during the day, returning to the island one hour after sunset and leaving again one hour before sunrise. The night number of birds on the island varies by night ranging 30, 000-36, 000.
4. Preparatory period is from early March to late May during which nestoccupation (old-nests), nest-amendation and forming laying bed with dead leaves are done.
5. Total number of nest-hollows on the island was around 128, 000 but usable and actually used nests are about 98, 000 of which only some 12, 000 were breeding nest-hollows.
6. A white egg is laid in middle and late June, measuring 42.0-47.0×64.0-72.2mm., 80g. Total egg number was assumed as 12, 000.
7. Incubation period more than 51 days; the hatching dates ranging between August 10 and 20. The new born chicks measure: culmen 20-24 mm, wing 28-33mm, tarsus 19-25mm, middle toe 12-24mm, weight 50-70g.
8. The chick is fed once at night and grows at a rate of about 20g per day until middle October, the maximum being 990g. At 30-40 days, the culmen 42-50mm, wing 115-163mm, tarsus 50-60mm, middle toe 55-67mm, weight 515-740g were measured; and at 60 days, culmen 43-57mm, weight 360-990g.
9. In middle October, feathers and quills become developed and the feeding by parents become irregular and the weight of chick decreases, though it assumes adult-like feature.
10. The chicks leave the island during late October and middle November. The feeding period is 70-100 days with average of 80 days. The chick weight at flying is less than 500g, some still with some down.
11. The adult birds leave the island first and the chicks follow them as they grow.
12. In early and middle November not few of them are found strayed in the prefectures Kyoto, Fukui, Osaka, and Shiga and these include young of the year and weekened adult birds, just started for migration.
13. One hundred chicks and 22 chicks were banded in October 1960 and November 1961 respectively. None of the 1960 chicks recovered in 1961. More banding is being planned.

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1. During 176 field observations, 1951-1961, 58 roosts (20 of which definitely observed) of Aegithalos caudatus were found in Nagano.
2. Roosts were usually found in desiduous bushes, most often below 2m from the ground
3. Ritualized movements and alertness are involved in their roosting behaviour and adherance to a roost was shown, when disturbed.
4. There are two stages, directed movements to roost-area and then to roostsite itself, before actual roosting.
5. Roosting is done in group movements which is maintained by certain vocal sign stimuli.
6. Distribution of roosts suggests the existence of a roosting area which is constant within a season.
7. Seasonal change of roosts was noticed and in winter a tendency to concentrate to a roost become marked.

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1. The observations were made during 1959-1962, in Kitakoma-gun, Yama- nashi and Suwa-gun, Nagano, Honshiu and include Corvus levaillantii japonensis and C. corone orientalis.
2. This paper describes: 1) size and fluctuation of roosting flocks, 2) seasonal change of roost, 3) stages of assembly, 4) time and light intensity in assemblies.
3. The flock size in roosting assembly increased from September to December with the maximum in December and January. In March the number of birds decreased to September level.
4. Flocks came in from four directions for pre-roosting assembly which were, Suwa, Saku, Kamanashi and Kofu (with some resident groups)The maximum number in December and January of the roosting population was due to the increase of flocks from Kofu area.
5. There were some resident crows which remained all day feeding around the roost. At Tsugane these crows were constantly about 38, and their evening feeding place determined the place of pre-roosting assembly for the day of returning flocks.
6. They gathered for pre-roosting assembly from about two hours before sunset.
7. They began to leave the roost while it is still so dark that their early morning activities were hard to observe.
8. There were four distinct stages of assembly.: 1) feeding ground assemblies-that occur while the birds are at their feeding grounds; 2) flight line assemblies along definite, established routes leading toward the roost; 3)pre-roosting assembly in the vicinity of the roost; 4) roosting assembly which is the final assembly at the roost. The flocks of distant feeding area from the roost became larger and larger in size since they made joint flocks as they come closer to the roost.
9. Returning flocks come along definite flight lines, coming in from surrounding areas of about 80 km. diameter.
10. At Tsugane roost the flocks from Kofu and Suwa area were larger than those from other directions.
11. Two types of assemblies were noticed during September to March: autumn-type assembly (September-November) and winter-type assembly (December-February). The assembly of March is similar to September assembly.In autumn-type, large flocks from Suwa and Kofu were missing and in winter- type they were responsible for the maximum flock size of the roost.
12. The crows of Suwa area (about 700-800) roosted at Koizumi Yama in autumn and in winter they moved to Tsugane roost.

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1) In the breeding season, March to June in 1960 and 1961, during which period observations were made, six small roosts, 24-60 birds each (only once 397 birds on June 23 possibly increased by young birds) were found scattered.
2) Roosts were found usually, but not always, at places where there was little traffic during the night.
3) Birch was most often used as roosts but larch and cherry trees were also used.
4) During the breeding season they entered directly into the roosts, coming back at sunset or as late as 30 minutes after.
5) It may well be that roost size is selected according to flock size as Kuroda has suggested.

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In this first report the following result on age & sex identification is described. 1. In April to July young are identified from adult birds by bill colour & paler black throat band. 2. In August & September, the base of the bill of adults becomes pale & indistinguishable from that of young birds. The moulting of throat band also makes the age identification difficult. 3. Those birds which have finished the first moult are to be separated as young birds from the 'Juveniles'. 4. In October to next March bill colour can be again an age criterion. 5. Sex identification was impossible other than gonad examination (measurements given).

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The Tree Sparrow, Passer montanus is the most important, problem bird' in rice field. This paper reports the preliminary field and laboratory experiments on grain eating of this species. Grains budding less than 20mm and covered less than 20mm deep were eaten. The influence by dressing with colours and eleven chemicals was not clear, though in the latter case some were possibly influencial.

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The call begin in Passer montanus parallels to the time of sunrise, seasonally and locally in Japan as a whole. But minor variations are due to light intensities and temperatures, being late on cloudy days and in cold weather.

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Number of House Swallows Hirundo rustica (gutturalis) was counted on their rout of roosting flight through a same window-mesh during post-breeding and departure period in three seasons, 1959, 1960 and 1961, in Saga, Kiushiu.
The roosting flight was direct and low and began from 90 minutes (with the peak 30-15 min.) before sunset and with seasonal peak in September towards the end of which month they departed. The numbers were greater on fine calm days and markedly dropped when disturbed by typhoons.
This roosting flight seems to have been established after the use of insecticides on the plain, since the swallows now mostly move to the hill-side for the day feeding to return to the roost of low land in the evening.

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Pellets are deposited in the nest before egg-laying and are increased later. Pellets of chicks also became mixed and are tramped by them. Pellets are thus considered to serve as nest-material.

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Notes on birds found in Nagoya City are reported by division of permanent residents, wintering, spring and other visitors.

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Tadorna tardona has been believed to be a rare winter visitor chiefly to southern Japan. In Ariake Bay in Kiushiu, however, it is not uncommon and hunted every year. For example, a flock of 150 was observed by Mr. Nakamura on January 3, 1962. The writer, and others observed 2 and 5 birds and took photographs of the latter on November 26, 1961.
He also observed 3 in Izumi, Kagoshima Prefecture on January 5, 1962.

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The flock-migration of birds of prey has only been known in Butastur in Japan. But the writer observed about 1, 500 Japanese Honey Buzzards migrating over Mt. Adachi in Kokura City on September 23, 1961. On the same day 50 migrating birds were observed over Moji by Mr. Takahashi, and on October 15 the writer also observed 11 at Saganoseki, Oita Prefecture. These observations suggest its migratory route figured in Fig. 1.

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A female Owstons' Varied Tit Parus varius owstoni, a dark race of Seven Is. of Izu had been kept by the author in Tokyo from October. In next September this bird moulted its plumage and acquired an entirely different colour which was almost exactly copious to the mainland race P. v. varius!
The racial colour pattern in this species is therefore entirely climatic (though based only on an example). The measurements remained unchanged.

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Some reliable observations of Eophona migratoria, Emberiza leucocephalos, Platalea and Threskiornis melanocephala which are rare species, breeding records of Turdus dauma and Pernis apivorus new to this area and an example of partial albino of Passer montanus, are reported.

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The breeding of the Eastern Grey Wagtail, Motacilla cinerea caspica in Kiushiu, is not definitey given in the Hand-list, 4th ed. In this report, however, are listed and mapped many summer observations in Kiushiu made by the authors and others, which include many breeing evidences.

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Distribution and colonies of nine species of herons found in Okayama, western Honshiu is reported. They are spreading their range. Some results of food examination and note on their relation to rice fields are given.

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Hegura I. is a small flat island with almost no tree, situated 27.5 miles from the tip of Noto Peninsula. Very few birds have hitherto been recorded. The author received lighthouse-struck birds four times in May and June, 1961 and 1962 These are, Turdus sibiricus, Larvivora cyane, Motacilla cinerea, Muscicapa alseonax, Mnscicapa griseisticta, Muscicapa narcissina, Locustella fasciolata, Locustella lanceolata, Locustella ochotensis, Phylloscopus borealis and Acrocephalus bistrigiceps, Lobipes lobatus.
These records support author's previous view that passerine migrants migrateoffshore rather than close to it and the lighthouse may often benifit them for temporal landing in cloudy and bad weathers (all above birds were obtained in such conditions), though small part of it may die by striking at it.

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A male specimen of Plectrophenalis nivalis was obtained by Mr. Kashiwagi at the mouth of River Kurobe, Toyama, 26 November, 1961 This is the second example from Honshiu and the specimen was sent to Yamashina Museum of birds.

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The range of darker race, Streptopelia orientalis stimpsoni (STEJNEGER), of the Riu Kiu Is. is considered to cover southern Honshiu (Inland Sea of Seto area), Shikoku and Seven Is. of lzn.

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A new subspecies, Accipiter virgatus iwasakii, subsp. nov., was described as a smaller resident Riu Kiu race with more rounded wing-formular compared with the northern(Korean)form. Its known range is Ishigaki and Iromote islands of the South Riu Kius.
The Riu Kiu population of Anous stolidus is smaller and paler than that of Micronesia, A. s. pileatus (Scopoli). Therefore the name, A. s. pullus Bangs, is to be recognized for the birds of Ishigaki and Iriomote islands, S. Riu Kius.

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In Hand-list 1958, the Scops Owl is given as possibly resident in Honshiu, with records of late November and December. Up to present the writer collected its more evidences of from November through February in Tokyo and Kobe area. Stomachs contained grasshoppers, moths, etc. and it is suggestive that some wintering birds were found in places where shrike's larders were plentiful.

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No evidence of the wintering of this species in the Riu Kius and the Philppines was obtained during the writer's collecting trips. There are a few more suggestive informations supporting Oka's view.

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Flocking of Delichon urbica around a big abandoned chimney in Miyako City, Iwate, was observed during 1959-1961. There were no distinct correlations with weather, food, air current or breeding conditions, other than the fact that they gathered on calm fine mornings (with wind velocity less than 3), and increased in number from July to September and October. They seemed only enjoy-a sociable flocking around a distinct object on the way of migration.

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