PETCHORA 353 



the people had collected eggs for us, Ducks and down, 

 Eedwings, Eeed Buntings, Redpolls, Redstarts, and 

 best of all eight Smews' eggs and down.* 



Coming down the river we saw the first Sand Martin. 

 We stayed up all night blowing eggs on the roof of bur 

 house, and saw the sun rise, tinging the houses and the 

 low willow thickets, and the funnels of the steamboat, 

 and a tall larch-tree with wondrous lustre. 



Arendt and the Captain go off down the river to-morrow 

 and next day, and will accomplish the journey in about 

 twenty-four hours. 



June 11. 



The morning of Friday, the llth of June, was dull and 

 cloudy and warm, with no wind. 



We went over our old ground. We shot a Siberian 

 Chiffchaff and a few common birds. Since our last visit 

 the water in the overflow has considerably subsided, 

 leaving in the open places a rim of grass which has since 

 grown up beautifully green. 



Redstarts are more abundant now, and are singularly 

 wild and shy, singing freely, and, like most singing birds 

 here, perching high. 



To-day both Seebohm and I again saw the Snipe, 

 perched on a tall larch-stump just as before, and a second 

 time on the topmost dead twig of a living larch. Here I 

 shot him, putting the matter beyond the shadow of a 

 doubt. It is somewhat difficult to understand how the 

 bird maintained its foothold of a perpendicular twig not 

 more than, at the very outside, half an inch in thickness, 

 and we believe it was much less. Seebohm afterwards 

 saw a Snipe a third time, perched on a living larch in just 

 the same position. Several were seen in the air at the 



* These eggs were pronounced genuine by Messrs. H. E. Dresser. 

 Howard Saunders, and H. Seebohm, on the examination of our col- 

 lections at Sheffield, in September, 1875, after our return. 



