on the Trans-Siberian Railway Line. 411 



noon we passed through a country absolutely flat, but well 

 wooded with silver-birch and fir trees, and in the afternoon 

 through open prairie land with scattered strips and clumps of 

 wood. In the forenoon I noticed the first Starlings {Sturnus 

 vulgaris), and Jackdaws [Corvus neglectus) were plentiful. 

 In the more open country Kestrels were numerous and I 

 saw one or two Sparrow-hawks. 



June 7th. — In the forenoon I saw the first Grey Crow 

 (^Corvus comix), but many others appeared as the day went 

 on. Jackdaws (C. neglectus) continued to be numerous, and 

 Magpies, which I had not seen for some days, were again 

 plentiful. Starlings were very abundant, and near every 

 house, elevated on poles or fastened in trees, were little 

 nesting-boxes for these birds, of which they gladly availed 

 themselves. Carrion-Crows were scarce. Swallows were 

 much in evidence and White Wagtails were abundant. I 

 first saw Cuckoos {Cuculus canorus) to-day, and they were 

 plentiful. Kestrels also were very numerous. To-day we 

 passed through Mariinsk and Bogatyr. 



June Sth. — The morning and forenoon of this day found us 

 in a steppe country which was studded by numerous small 

 shallow lakes fringed with reeds, whilst huge marshes 

 spread on either side of the line as far as we could see. 



We passed Kainsk in the forenoon. Ornithologically this 

 day was full of interest and I saw many birds hereabouts 

 which I had not observed elsewhere. Waterfowl, as might 

 be expected, were abundant. Mallards were numerous and 

 almost certainly breeding ; and I saw a pair of Grey Lag 

 Geese which probably had a nest, they were not far from the 

 line and seemed quite undisturbed by the proximity of the 

 train. 



We passed several colonies of Black-headed Gulls {Larus 

 ridibundus), but these birds were not very numerous. 

 Coots [Fulica atra) and Little Grebes {Podicipes fluviatilis) 

 were fairly plentiful, and in the drier parts of the country I 

 saw a good many pairs of Lapwings ( Vanellus vulgaris). 

 In the early afternoon we left the lakes behind us and 

 the train ran through open grassy country with occasional 



