Mr. H. Seebohm on the Ornithology of Siberia. 322 
(Plate IX.) 
The following notes on the birds of Siberia are of course 
extremely fragmentary. It is very seldom that the first ex- 
pedition to a strange land is successful. The pioneer can do 
little more than discover the localities where future researches 
may be successfully made. My great mistake was that I 
wintered too far north. Had I waited the arrival of migra- 
tory birds at Yen-e-saisk’, instead of on the Arctic circle, my 
ornithological bag would have been increased fourfold in 
value. My list is almost as remarkable for what it omits as for 
what itincludes. There is no doubt that the Merlin is common 
in the valley of the Yen-e-say’; anda little further south, most 
likely they would have been found chasing the Snow-Buntings. 
I was probably only just beyond the northern range of the 
Siberian Jay. On my return journey my time was neces- 
sarily very limited, and I was obliged to husband my ammu- 
nition. It was also the most unfavourable time of the whole 
year for making ornithological observations. During the 
breeding-season many birds forsake the neighbourhood of 
the villages and the cultivated land, and scatter themselves 
through the forests; and whilst they are moulting in the 
autumn, they seem to be fully aware that their powers of flight 
are limited, and that consequently they are an easy prey to 
their Raptorial enemies, and therefore they seem afraid to 
trust themselves on the wing. For the most part they are 
silent at this season, and skulk amongst the underwood, and: 
it is only by chance that one can obtain a shot at them. 
My plans were also considerably disarranged by the two 
shipwrecks, which did not form a part of my original pro- 
gramme ; nevertheless I trust that the observations I was able 
to make may prove interesting to the student of ornithology. 
Hawraevus ALBIcILLA (Linn.). 
The Sea- Eagle was common on the banks of the Yen-e-say’, 
[13] 
