168 TRAVELS OF A NATURALIST 



however, no nests found. They shot a Terek Sandpiper 

 also, and returned about ten o'clock to breakfast. 



The day was spent in skinning ; but a Wheatear and 

 many Skylarks were seen. 



In the evening Alston and I, with Carl, went out 

 again after Yellow-breasted Buntings, and secured ten 

 more specimens, including three ' youngish,' and we 

 found a couple of nests with very young birds. 



The ground they frequent consists of hay-fields, about 

 five acres or more in extent, in which it is extremely 

 difficult to find either the nests or the birds themselves 

 after they are shot. That the birds also run from the 

 nests I am almost certain, as when the bird rose, and 

 afterwards we watched her to the nest, it was placed 

 quite six yards from where she rose first. These hay- 

 fields are covered with the same dockweed (not true 

 dockweed) as was growing at Talaga, where I found the 

 nest of eggs ; also with plants of horse-celery and long 

 grass. The Buntings perched on the dockweeds and 

 uttered a low ' chit-chit,' and often flew close round 

 when one was shot. Amongst the three of us, eight were 

 shot and six were lost. We came in, but Carl and I 

 could not sleep for the heat and closeness of the room. 



July 13. 



On Saturday, the 13th of July, Alston and Piottuch 

 started at twelve o'clock noon for the ' Grand Bois,' 

 ten versts off. They walked the first five versts to a 

 village, where they got a cart to drive the other five 

 to the forest of Glubocki, which they entered about 

 2.30 p.m. They presently came on the fresh tracks of 

 a large bear, and finding they had only one bullet, halted 

 to make three more, by melting shot in a hollowed 

 stump and pouring it into an empty cartridge-case. 

 Piottuch thought it was an old female with young, in 



