514 Mr. H. L. Popliam on Birds 



but was doomed to disappointment. I did not see any birds 

 till I was north of Golcliika; and then they were scarce. 



138. "^GALLIXAfiO MAJOR. 



The Double Snipe first appeared at Yeniseisk on May 19th. 

 Its range extends to the most northern islands of the 

 Brckhofeski group (lat. 71° N.). 



189. "^Gallinago ccelestis. 



The Common Snipe was first procured at Yeniseisk on the 

 same date as the Double Snipe ; it is rarer than either 

 G. major or G. stenura. No nests were found by us in either 

 year that I was on the Yenisei, but Seebohm obtaind one 

 nest in lat. 67° N. 



140. "^Gallinago stenura. 



On May 28th, at Yeniseisk, I found the first Snipers nest 

 with three eggs, and returning on the following day 1 flushed 

 the bird from the nest j she only flew a few yards and alighted 

 on the ground, where I promptly shot her, and was pleased 

 to find that it was a Pin-tailed Snipe (2), and that the 

 fourth egg had been laid. Seebohm was therefore mistaken 

 in his supposition that this Snipe does not breed south of the 

 Arctic circle. I afterwards found three more nests : one at the 

 monastery (lat. 65° 40' N.) and the other two on the tundra. 

 Two of these nests contained four eggs, and the other two 

 eggs. Thej'^ , differ considerably from eggs of the Common 

 Snipe in being larger, having the ground-colour as in eggs 

 of the Double Snipe, and being much more richly marked. 

 The markings are in almost all cases very profuse at the 

 larger end, and in some confluent. The eggs measure 

 1-59 in. by 1-24 in., 161 in. by 1*12 in., 1-66 in. by 1-2 in., 

 and r74 in. by 1*18 in. 



I never heard the Pin-tailed Snipe utter any call when 

 rising from its nest, but its " drumming ^^ sounds like 

 bubbling water, while it is continued much longer and is far 

 louder than the drumming of the Common Snipe. The bird 

 works its way to a considerable height and then descends 

 rapidly, " drumming ^' as it goes ; if close overhead the noise 

 is terrific. It is a far easier bird to shoot than our Common 



