420 Mr. H. E. Dresser on the Occurrence of 



the Greater Spotted Woodpecker, Common Suipe, and 

 Lapwing had fresh- eggs, and the nests of the Red-legged 

 Falcons (Falco vespertinus obscvi'us) were ready, though as yet 

 they were empty. 



On this day three local sportsmen, Messrs. Grabinsky, 

 Tveritin, and Florinsky, were on the Irtysh River in a boat, 

 and about 11 o'clock in the forenoon observed two Waders 

 at the edge of the flooded meadow near the mouth of the 

 Arkharka, one of which was probing the muddy ground, 

 whilst the other was walking about close to its mate. In their 

 manners they reminded the sportsmen of Greenshanks, but 

 on account of their rust-coloured plumage it was concluded 

 that they must be Godwits. They were quite tame, even 

 when approached within forty paces, and Mr. Florinsky 

 killed both birds with the same shot. As they seemed to 

 be somew^hat uncommon Mr. Florinsky brought them to 

 Mr. V. E. Ushakow, a correspondent of Mr. S. A. Buturlin, 

 who skinned them. Both were in a somewhat poor condition 

 and rather lean, the stomachs containing small shells and 

 river-ooze. Mr. Ushakow, with the assistance of Mr. 

 Buturlin's ' Synoptical Tables of the Birds of the Russian 

 Empire' (in Russian), correctly identified the birds; but, 

 inasmuch as the present species had not been recorded from 

 further west in Siberia than Chita in Dauria, he was 

 doubtful as to whether he was right, and sent the birds to 

 Mr. Buturlin. On skinning the female bird Mr. Ushakow 

 found in the lower part of the oviduct an egg fully coloured 

 and quite ready for exclusion, which he carefully extracted, 

 measured, and photographed. Unfortunately before he sent 

 me this egg a mouse got at it and so damaged it that I have 

 been unable to repair it sufficiently to photograph it in 

 colour, so I have re])roduced the photograph (p. 421) 

 taken by Mr. Ushakow. 



This egg is somewhat glossy in the surface of the shell, 

 like that of a Snipe, but in form and general coloration 

 is not unlike that of a Godwit, though the ground-colour is 

 rather more grey in tone and at the larger end there are two 

 sharp reddish-brown stripes, such as are often found in eggs 



