Oological Journey to Russia. 157 



finest in Livonia, is beautifully situated at the end of 

 the Burtnek See, a lake about fifteen versts long by ten 

 wide. After an early lunch we started in a large boat, with 

 four men to row us, up the lake, to visit one or two small 

 islands. On the way I was shewn a spot where Haliaetus 

 albicilla nests every year in an old tree. The water was 

 high, so the islets were smaller than usual. 



We met with many Sterna fluviatilis, though most of their 

 eggs had been sucked by Crows, plenty of Reed-Warblers, 

 half a dozen nests of Podicipes cristatus and one of Anas 

 boscas. We returned to Burtnek in time to partake of a 

 luxurious supper. The following day we drove back to 

 Lisdcn. 



All the next morning I worked at birds, and afterwards at 

 luncheon we were joined by Baron Kruedener, a well-known 

 sportsman, who remained for the rest of the day. Mr. Bu- 

 turlin had to return home, but I remained at Lisden until the 

 17th of June, when I was obliged to go to Riga to have my 

 passport vised. As already stated, Baron Loudon's egg- 

 collection was small, but his bird-collection very rich in series. 

 I noticed that Dendrocopus leucopterus from Transcaspia was 

 readily distinguishable from D. leptorhynchus from the Syr- 

 Darja, but that specimens from Ferghana were intermediate. 

 Ciconia azareth Severtz. seemed to be a fairly good subspecies 

 and always had the bill larger and stouter. The series of 

 Tardus atrigularis was particularly fine. One male had the 

 breast-shield very black, the rest of the under parts pure 

 white, and the upper parts, wings, and tailisabelline. Athene 

 caucasica, Coracias semenovi, Otocorgs pallida, O.iranica, and 

 0. balcanicu, all of which I examined, seem to me to be very 

 doubtful subspecies. Passer simplex var. zarudnyi fromTrans- 

 caspia did not appear to me to differ from Passer simplex 

 from North Africa, but unfortunately there were no African 

 specimens to compare it with. Troglodytes pallidas from 

 Transcaspia differs from typical Troglodytes parvulus only in 

 being paler, with a more slender bill, and the under parts 

 somewhat greyer and more closely barred. 



I examined a good series of Magpies, and Pica bactriana 



