the Birds of the Lower Petchora. 121 



means uncommon. Sometimes two or three were singing at 

 the same time. By dint of patient watching and waiting, 

 part of the time in a di"izzling rain, we each secured another 

 specimen, both males. At Alexievka we frequently saw the 

 Petchora Pipit on the willow-swamp on the island, and ob- 

 tained several nests of this species between the 24th and 29th 

 June, The nest is somewhat similar to that of the Red- 

 throated Pipit ; but instead of being composed of fine round 

 grass, it is generally made of flat -leaved grass and knotted 

 water-plants and small leaves ; and in two of them we found 

 small Eqiiiseta. The eggs are like large varieties of those of 

 the Meadow- Pipit; five seems to be the usual number. This 

 bird would appear to be a somewhat later breeder than A. 

 cervinus. All the eggs we obtained were fresh, whilst those 

 of the latter bird, taken at the same time, were too much 

 incubated to be worth the trouble of blowing. At Alexievka 

 we were not so fortunate in procuring birds; but just before 

 we sailed we succeeded in shooting three more specimens as 

 they were feeding on the sandy banks of the river. One of 

 these proved to be a female. This bird is ultra aquatic in its 

 habits. We did not meet with it on the tundra at Stanavoia- 

 lachta or Dvoinik. 



Anthus trivialis (L.). 



Only one specimen of the Tree-Pipit was obtained. It was 

 shot at Ust Zylma on the 22nd May. This was the only one 

 we saw. 



Anthus pratensis (L.). 



We got the Meadow-Pipit for the first time on the 12th 

 May. This species is far less abundant than the next at Ust 

 Zylma at the time of migration ; and afterwards we found 

 them quite a scarce and local bird on the tundra. They 

 frequented principally the opener parts of the alder and birch 

 thickets on the banks of the river Zylma, where they perched 

 freely upon alder and birch trees, and more rarely on wil- 

 lows, both flying up from the ground and from tree to tree. 

 We were surprised at this ; but the habit seemed to be per- 

 fectly well known to Piottuch, who informed us of it before 



