Dr. O. Finsch's Ornithological Letters. 57 



is clothed chiefly with willows. As the river was very high, 

 the low land on the left was flooded to a great degree, and we 

 often went for long distances in narrow channels, or crossed 

 meadow-grounds. Here waterfowl were very numerous, but 

 shy. We distinguished Anas acuta, A. clypeata, A. crecca, 

 A. penelope, and A. fuUgula ; Geese and Swans kept too far 

 off to be made out. Hcematopus ostralegus and Numenius 

 arquata were not uncommon, but only in small companies. 

 In the woods on the right bank we found Corythus enucleator, 

 Fringilla montifringilla, Sylvia garrula, Phylloscopus tro- 

 chilus, and P. tristis, the latter resembling in manner very 

 much our P. rufus. No Flycatcher ! no Garrulus or Nuci- 

 fraga ! Tits were heard only a few times, but not seen. Ob- 

 servations, indeed, are very difficult. After leaving Tomsk 

 we suffered continually from mosquitos, and it was nearly im- 

 possible to leave the lotka. Even an English mosquito-gar- 

 ment was of no use ; and the woods are so thick that no veil 

 is of any benefit. The woods in general are silent ; and if 

 a bird is to be heard, it is still more difficult to see it in 

 the thickness of the foliage and the underwood. The most 

 common birds were Corvus corniw and Pica caudata, Em- 

 beriza pusilla, Fringilla montifringilla, Motacilla alba, and 

 M. cinereocapilla, which were to be seen at every station. 

 Passer domesticus and P. campestris are only to be found 

 on stations where cattle live; both species occur in the 

 town of Berezofl", but not in Obdorsk. P. campestris goes 

 as far up as Kuschowat, the last Russian village between 

 Berezoff and Obdorsk, but disappears during winter time, 

 as both Sparrows do at Berezoff. Hirundo rustica we found 

 two stations further up than Berezoff", and H. urbica only 

 as far as Monastir Kondinsky, about 260 versts above Sama- 

 rowa. At Tschematschefskaja, 130 versts from Kondinsky, 

 we found Picus minor and Turdus pilaris, both with fledg- 

 lings ; and at Balschoi Ustram I got from an Ostiak two young 

 of Ulula lapponica. At Kuschowat we first found Fringilla 

 linaria, if I remember right, and for the last time saw Pra- 

 tincola rubicola. Emberiza schceniclus we observed on the 

 stations on the left bank everywhere where willow trees with 



