COUNTRY NEAR YENESEISK 459 



My skins being laid out so that the process of drying 

 might go on, I devoted most of the next day to exploring 

 the banks of the Yenesei. The country I found almost 

 flat, and for miles there stretched an extent of meadow 

 land that had recently been cut for hay. It was inter- 

 sected with numerous half-dried-up river-beds, running 

 parallel to the Yenesei. These beds were full of tall 

 carices and various water-plants, and were almost con- 

 cealed by the willow-trees; occasionally the water was 

 open, running between muddy borders. On this meadow 

 land wagtails were numerous, especially near the town; 

 but I saw only one species, the masked wagtail, Motacilla 

 personata. It was, however, very hard to get good 

 specimens of any bird. Nearly all being in full moult 

 they did not sing, and remained concealed in the herbage, 

 making it difficult to shoot them, and when shot they 

 proved very imperfect. Many of the young birds also 

 were not yet fully fledged. Kestrels were very abundant, 

 and I frequently saw as many as a score on the wing 

 together. Richard's pipit was also common, frequenting 

 the newly-mown meadows; I shot both old and young. 

 Occasionally I saw a shrike which appeared to be the 

 great grey shrike, but I did not succeed in bringing one 

 down. Magpies were numerous, especially near the 

 town. Singularly enough, we did not see any before 

 reaching Yeneseisk, yet Uleman told me that rarely 

 a summer passed without one or two being seen at 

 Vershinsky. Crows abounded, but I saw no jackdaws. 

 I shot both the orreat tit and the cole tit. Amongst the 

 willows one of the commonest birds was Blyth's grass- 

 warbler, Zz/^'^V^zc'/ir^yz/iT^/^, mostly young ones not yet fully 

 fledged. I shot one Siberian chiffchaff, but did not see 

 any young. My attention was frequently attracted by 

 small parties of young birds among the willows, uttering a 



