PET CHORA 327 



In the afternoon Piottuch, Seebohm, and I went away 

 along the river to the north, and then turned up the long 

 valley which we noticed on a former excursion before the 

 snow had gone. I fired into a flock of Lapland Buntings 

 and killed one female. From the quick glance I had of 

 them I think the most of the flock consisted of females, 

 as black heads and throats did not show conspicuously 

 amongst them. 



We saw a Gull, which we thought to be the Common 

 Gull, flying high. In the valley we heard various Blue- 

 throats singing, and Seebohm shot one ; also a small 

 flock of Bramblings, of which we got two, $ and $ ; and 

 two Siberian Jays, getting one. I chased and fired at a 

 splendid cock Bullfinch (P. major), and Piottuch shot a 

 Ked-throated Pipit and a Stonechat (see antea, footnote). 

 One other Stonechat and two Wheatears, both males, were 

 seen, and on the way home we shot two Golden Plovers. 



The valley looked capital ground for birds, and we felt 

 that we must pay it another visit in the early morning. 

 It is covered with pine-forest, with here and there birch 

 (and a single large larch), and a * trouty-looking ' stream 

 purled away under the trees. 



In the town, at the same pool we saw them as before, 

 we shot two more Wood Sandpipers,* which, as before, 

 were very tame and intent on feeding, one of them 

 alighting and sitting within six yards of my feet. 



Away up the Petchora, as far as we could see, there was 

 a great flood of broken, hummocky ice streaming down, 

 and at one spot on the far shore it was stationary and 

 piled up to a great height. 



We found to-day a last year's Redwing's nest, contain- 

 ing four broken eggs, the colour of which was wonderfully 

 fresh and green. 



* The Wood Sandpiper has axillaries white, with dark bars ; the 

 Green Sandpiper has them black, with narrow white bars. 



