514 Mr. H. E. Dresser on the Russian 



rather far from the shore was a small rocky island covered 

 with Gulls^ nests, where he saw Larus affinis, Larus glaucus, 

 and Larus vegce. 



Larus vega was common on the islands o£ the New 

 Siberian Archipelago, and apparently also on the coasts of 

 the mainland, in the estuaries of the rivers from the 

 Indigirka to the Yana and Omolai. On the New Siberian 

 Islands in Nerpitchi Bay, Birulia saw old and young birds 

 late in the autumn of 1901, and on New Siberia during 

 the entire summer, while he had ample opportunities of 

 observing this Gull, where it was first seen on the 24th May/ 

 6th June. As soon as the steep, sandy river-banks were free 

 from snow Larus vegce commenced nidification. He did not 

 find any nests, but from the early part of June at the 

 estuaries of all the small rivers he saw these Gulls, which, 

 when approached, exhibited the greatest anxiety and 

 evidently had nests in the vicinity. In the autumn he saw 

 families of old and young birds. In 1903 Mr. BrousneflF found 

 nests of this Gull, containing eggs on the 10th/23rd June, on 

 sandbanks near Cape Rojin. Larus vegce does not, however, 

 nest on the sea-shore exclusively, as on the 17th June/ 

 2nd July Mr. Birulia shot a male, which had incubation- 

 patches, far from the sea in the interior of the Island of 

 New Siberia, and saw several pairs, which led him to believe 

 that they had nests there, apparently on small elevated places 

 which were not flooded in the spring. On the whole, he did 

 not meet with this Gull very often, though in 1902 it was 

 more numerous than Larus glaucus. It was last seen on 

 New Siberia Island on the 8th/21st September, when it 

 was so cold that the thermometer shewed 20° Centigrade 

 of frost, but in the previous year both old and young birds 

 were observed in Nerpitchi Bay. 



Rissa tridactyla was rare, and of accidental occurrence 

 only, off the coasts of the Taimyr mainland, but large numbers 

 were seen off the north coast of New Siberia and Bennett 

 Island. 



Rhodostethia rosea. — On approaching Bennett Island on the 

 29th Ang./llth Sept., 1901, the 'Sarja' encountered large 



