11 Mr. H. Seebohm on the Ornithology of Siberia. 
the bird from the nest, which contained three eggs. My next 
nest of this bird was taken on the 14th of July, and contained 
four eggs. It was placed in the branches of an alder-bush, 
about four feet from the ground, and within twenty yards of 
the water’s edge. It was rather more carefully constructed 
than the one I previously found, and composed of dry grass, 
semidomed, and lined with Willow-Grouse feathers. The 
third nest I took on the island of Mah’-la Brek’-off-sky, 
about lat. 703°. This nest was similar in construction to the 
others, but was placed in the rank herbage within a few inches 
oftheground. The eggs inthis and a fourth nest which I took 
the same day (July 15th), were somewhat incubated. The 
Siberian Chiffchaff lays a bold round egg, large for the size 
of the bird, pure white, spotted with dark purple-red, almost 
black. Sometimes the spots are of considerable size. I have 
no hesitation in saying that the eggs which Harvie-Brown 
and I brought from the Petchora, which we supposed to be 
eggs of this bird, were only unusually small varieties of those 
of the common Willow- Warbler. 
I did not meet with the Siberian Chiffchaff further north 
than 703°; but on the return journey I continually met with 
it as far south as Yen-e-saisk’. On these occasions it was 
carefully tending its newly fledged young. Its plaintive mono- 
syllabic call-note was then often heard; but it appeared to 
have dropped the chivit’ chivet’. 
Puytioscorus ruscatus, Blyth. 
On my return journey I spent a few days in the middle of 
August at Yen-e-saisk’, devoting some time to the explora- 
tion of the banks of the Yen-e-say’. The country was almost 
flat, and for miles I wandered across an extent of meadow- 
land which had recently been cut for hay. This meadow- 
land is intersected with numerous half-dried-up river-beds 
running parallel to the Yen-e-say’. These river-beds are 
full of tall Carices and various water-plants, and are almost 
concealed by willow trees. Occasionally the water is open. 
One of the commonest birds in these swamps was Phyllo- 
scopus fuscatus ; what we saw were mostly young birds not 
fully fledged. 
[54] 
