Mr. H. Seebohra on the Ornithology of Siberia. 153 



more often from the summit of a larch tree. I shot one from 

 the top of a larch at least fourteen feet from the ground. 



Charadrius fulvus, Gmel. 



On the 5th of June I had the pleasure of shooting my first 

 Asiatic Golden Plover. This bird is at once distinguishable 

 from the last-mentioned species by its smaller size^ and grey 

 instead of white axillaries. A third distinction may also be 

 found in the comparatively longer tarsus of the eastern bird. 

 In its voice it exactly resembles the Grey Plover. I noticed 

 all the three variations with which I am so familiar in the note 

 of the latter bird, but remarked that the third variation, which 

 I take to be a combination of the two others more rapidly 

 uttered (see Dresser's ' Birds of Europe/ Appendix to the 

 article on Squatarola helvetica), is much more frequently 

 uttered by the Asiatic Golden Plover than by the Grey 

 Plover. I secured many specimens of this interesting bird 

 as it passed the Koo-ray'-i-ka on migration. I did not observe 

 it again until we reached lat. 69^°, on the open tundra just 

 beyond the limit of forest-growth. Not a trace of a pine 

 tree was to be seen ; and the birches had dwindled down to 

 stunted bushes scarcely a foot high. I took a nest of Turdus 

 fuscatus with young birds as I climbed up the steep bank 

 where alders and willows still flourished luxuriantly, and had 

 scarcely reached the top before I heard the cry of a Plover. 

 The tundra was hilly, with lakes and swamps and bogs in the 

 wide valleys and plains. I found myself upon an excellent 

 piece of Plover-ground, covered more with moss and lichen 

 than with grass, sprinkled with patches of bare pebbly ground, 

 and interspersed with hummocky plains, where ground-fruits 

 and gay flowers were growing. I soon caught sight of both 

 male and female, and sat down with the intention of watching 

 the latter onto the nest. After wasting half an hour, during 

 which the bird wandered uneasily round and round me with- 

 out showing any partiality for a special locality, I came to 

 the conclusion, either that the eggs were hatched, in which 

 case my watching was in vain, or that I was so near the nest 

 that the female dare not come on. The male had a splendid 



