338 TRAVELS OF A NATURALIST 



stems submerged in the overflow, are dense thickets of 

 alder, and others skirt the outside of the forest. In the 

 latter immense quantities of drift timber rested among 

 the branches, floated on the waters of the flood, or lay 

 upon the land piled up in masses or 'spread in regular 

 layers as left by the subsiding of the floods of former 

 years. 



Behind Habarika, about half a verst distant, is an 

 immense swamp, lying in the middle of forest, with pools 

 of water dotted over its surface. It is quite three versts 

 in length by one verst in width. 



Here and there also in the forest are lakes, swamps, 

 and curious hollows, the latter with regularly-formed 

 banks, some dry, and covered with moss and dried-up 

 water-plants (identified by Seebohm as Potamogeton), 

 and some with a pool of water in the centre. These 

 appeared to form a winding chain through the woods, 

 joined here and there by swamp, and in other places by 

 deep, water- worn trenches. These are doubtless formed 

 by the previous higher floods of the great river, succeeded 

 by the scorching rays of the hot sun of the short Arctic 

 summer. Some have become dry and parched-up, and 

 others retain a considerable amount of moisture. Bound 

 the lakes the forest stands like a wall, the stems of the 

 trees bleached white with sun and water, and ice-scraped, 

 to the height of five or six feet. 



The new arrivals seen by us at Habarika were Smews, 

 Goosanders, Black-throated Divers, Great Snipe, Cuckoo, 

 Terek Sandpipers, Yellow-headed Wagtail, Golden Eagle, 

 Hobby, Waxwings, and Osprey ; and other birds seen 

 were the Magpie, Wigeons, Teals, Pintails, Kedwings, 

 Fieldfares, Bluethroats, Siberian Chiffchaff, Siberian 

 Tit, Capercaillie, Willow Warblers, Little Bunting, Blue- 

 headed Wagtail, Bramblings, Redpolls, Eing-Dotterels, 

 Stonechats, Hooded Crow, Siberian Jay, Three-toed 



