PETCHORA 311 



The Meadow Pipits appear to be abundant at this side 

 of the river, and were going in flocks and small parties. 

 Of the Eed-throated species I only saw three, and these, 

 as before observed, were flying against the wind at a con- 

 siderable elevation, the early sun, however, showing the 

 fawn colour distinctly. 



I identified an old friend — a Greenshank — high over- 

 head, and whistled him down, but not to within range. 

 Pintails were most abundant, and were seen in immense 

 flocks — hundreds, and even thousands together — winging 

 their rapid flights from their feeding-places to the opener 

 pools and streams on the Zylma and Petchora Kivers. 



I identified also a fine male Shoveller showing his 

 bright chestnut breast as he flew over against the sun- 

 rays. He was in company with some ten other Ducks 

 which may also have been of the same species, and prob- 

 ably were so, but I did not identify them. I should have 

 had a good shot, but just at the time — how often does 

 some such accident prevent a good shot at dusk — I had 

 laid my gun against a tree-stump, and was hitching up 

 my long boots, one of which had stuck between two 

 branches under the snow and had been nearly pulled off. 



I came in to breakfast. Seebohm, who had started earlier 

 than I, had not much luck either. He shot Meadow 

 Pipits in trees, and one had just been singing before. He 

 shot some and saw many Reed Buntings, and saw Lesser 

 Spotted Woodpecker. 



We had a long fruitless tramp afterwards in search of 

 small birds in the mixed alder, birch, and willow woods, 

 M. Sacharoff accompanying us. We saw three of the 

 Common Gull, perched on the topmost branches of an 



says: 'This species [A. pratensis) is closely related to A. cervinus of 

 the Continent, which some of my specimens resemble so closely, 

 that it is almost impossible to separate them.' See also Irby's 

 'Ornithology of the Straits of Gibraltar,' p. 110, 



