318 TRAVELS OF A NATURALIST 



from the carpal point is 23J inches. It appears to be a 

 young bird, from the ochreous colour on the head and 

 cheeks (?) and slight greyness on the wings. 



A male Wigeon was also brought to us, but was too 

 poor a specimen for preservation. 



Seebohrn saw two Wheatears, $ and $ , and shot three 

 ? Shore Larks and one Lapland Bunting. 



May 22. 



On Saturday, the 22nd of May, the new arrivals were 

 the Siberian Chiffchaff, the Skylark, Tree Pipit, and 

 Stonechat. 



We went out behind the town, but rather late in the 

 day, and got very little. One bird, however, is good, 

 which we made out at the time to be what Meves calls 

 Sylvia middendorffii, specimens of which we had exam- 

 ined in the Museum in St. Petersbourg, where we took 

 notes of wing formula, etc. (q.v.). Seebohm was of 

 opinion that it may turn out to be S. bonelli. * The 

 characters are as follows : Large bastard primaries 

 like P. superciliosus ; second primaries quite J inch less 

 than longest ; longer wing and larger than P. super- 

 ciliosus ; no yellow on this bird on the neck, though pre- 

 sent in specimens at St. Petersbourg, but when present 

 it does not come round the nape as in P. superciliosus. 



We shot the Sky Lark and Tree Pipit. 



When we came in some birds were sent round by M. 

 Znaminsky, viz., five Blue-headed Wagtails, two Red- 

 throated Pipits, one Willow Wren, one Stonechat, t and 



->' The birds were examined at Sheffield, after our return, by 

 Messrs. H. E. Dresser, Howard Saunders, and H. Seebohm, who 

 determined them to be the Siberian Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus tristis, 

 Blyth), and not P. middendorffii. 



f When our skins were examined at Sheffield in September, 1875, 

 after our return, Messrs. H. E. Dresser, Howard Saunders, and 

 H. Seebohm considered the Stonechat to be the Siberian form 

 (Pratincola leucura, Blyth ?) ; see Jerdon II. pt. 1, p. 126. 



