extremely abundant, principally the White Wagtail. There were many Green Wagtails, and I shot one Grey Wagtail.* I shot one Red-throated Pipit in winter plumage and a couple of female Scarlet Bullfinches.

The forest was utterly impenetrable. In most places the snow was too soft for snow-shoes, but I could hear a multitude of Thrushes and Willow-Warblers singing. Now and then a few late Geese and Swans passed over, and Ducks of various species were constantly on the wing.

The tide in the Koo-ray'-i-ka had turned apparently. All day long the ice came slowly drifting back, and both rivers were once more full of pack-ice.

I saw a couple of Terns, most likely Arctic Terns.

The next day was again lovely and smiling, with scarcely a breath of wind, but the snow thawed more slowly than we wished, for it froze every night for an hour or two. Fourand-twenty hours of warm south wind would have made a wonderful difference. The river had risen again, and during the night and the following day pack-ice and floes floated up the Koo-ray'-i-ka. This we were told was the Tun-goosk' ice coming down. All this time the great migration of birds

*The Grey Wagtail (Motacilla melanope) breeds throughout Central and Southern Siberia, Turkestan, Cashmere, and North China; wintering in India and the islands of the Malay archipelago. As the specimen referred to is the only one I procured, it is possible that I was in the extreme northern limit of its range (660). A very nearly-allied western form, differing

only in having a slightly longer tail, occurs in Persia, Asia Minor, the whole of Europe, (with the exception of Scandinavia and North Russia,) and North Africa, including the Canaries and the Azores. In the British Islands it is a partial resident in mountainous districts, appearing only in winter in more low-lying localities.

was going on. My list for that day was forty birds shot, thirty two skinned. The most interesting were: the Golden Plover, Wood Sandpiper, Temminck's Stint, Little Bunting, a couple of male Scarlet Bullfinches, and a couple of Dark Ouzels.* The latter was a new species for me, which I had hitherto only known from skins.

The following day was again brilliantly fine. The wind, if the gentlest zephyr may be called wind, changed continually,

OSTYAK DRILL

east, south, and west. The stream of ice went on uninterruptedly, but this time it was down the Koo-ray'-i-ka. Birds were not quite so numerous, nevertheless I added four to my list. The first was a Fieldfare down by the river side, then I secured a Terek Sandpiper on the flooded grass behind the store. In the afternoon a flock of half-a-dozen Ringed Plover arrived, and I shot a brace of them. The last was a Lesser

*The Dark Ouzel (Merula obscura) breeds in East Siberia between lat. 63° and lat. 67° in the valley of the Yenesay, and further east in the pine regions of Lake By-kal and the Amoor. passes through China and Mongolia on migration, and winters in Assam, Mal

It

acca, and the islands of the Malay archipelago. Stragglers are occasionally found as far west as Turkestan, Nepal, and Europe. I did not meet with this interesting Ouzel farther north than the Arctic Circle.

Whitethroat in the trees at the top of the banks of the Kooray'-i-ka. In the forest, birds were abundant enough. A Woodpecker made the woods ring again with its loud tapping. Willow-Warblers and Bluethroats were the principal songsters. I heard the Siberian Chiffchaff repeatedly, and shot a Yellow-browed Warbler while uttering its note most vociferously. I also saw several Scarlet Bullfinches.

On the grass around the house, Shore Larks and Lapland Buntings congregated in a large flock. Both species occasionally run and occasionally hop, but I think the Shore Larks hop oftener. I noticed also that the Lapland Buntings when disturbed generally sought refuge in a tree. Another very common bird was the Pintail Snipe. I could have shot a score a day had I possessed cartridges to spare. They came wheeling round, uttering a loud and rather shrill cry peezh, then dropped down with a great whirr of wing and with tail outspread, an occupation which seemed so engrossing that they did not discover until upon the ground that they had alighted within twenty yards of a man with a gun. I made two good shots. One, another of the Dusky Ouzels, the other, a second Asiatic Golden Plover. By this time many mosquitoes were on the wing, but as yet their bite was not very virulent.

The Eastern or Siberian form of the Lesser Whitethroat (Sylvia affinis) differs from the well-known home species in its wing formula; but examples occasionally occur in Europe agreeing with the Eastern bird in this respect. It breeds throughout Siberia,

extending northwards almost to the limit of forest growth, and southwards into North Persia, Turkestan, and North-east China. It winters in Baluchistan and the whole of India and Ceylon. I did not observe this species further north than lat, 67°.

Late in the evening clouds began to gather, and rain came on which continued all night. The river soon began to rise, and the tide of ice turned again up the Koo-ray'-i-ka, proving that the mouth of the Yen-e-say' was still blocked with ice.

CHAPTER XI.

Four species added to my list-Dotterel-Rapid rise of the river-Open waterArrival of the Great Snipe-Pallas's Sand-Martin-Common SandpiperCharacteristics of the native tribes-Ship repairs-Pine Bunting-Ice lost in the forest-Glinski's industry-Ruby-throated Warbler-Waxwings-Death of a Tungoosk-Funeral rites-Disease of the natives-Their improvidenceUselessness of the priests.

It rained off and on the whole of Saturday the 9th of June, nevertheless birds were plentiful. The first great rush of