366 TRAVELS OF A NATURALIST 



The towD is almost encircled by the river and its 

 kourias. 



The wind being still dead against us we were compelled 

 again to lie-to for the night a little below Veeska. This 

 is weary work. What must it be tracking up-stream 

 against the current ? 



June 17. 



On Thursday, the 17th of June, we had a good 

 morning's work done by ten o'clock. We got some more 

 of the Small Warblers, Yellow-headed Wagtails, a Common 

 Skylark (only the second we have seen, the other one 

 having been shot at Ust Zylma), a Bluethroat (which is 

 becoming rarer as we go north), two Lesser Spotted 

 Woodpeckers, and a few Temminck's Stints. 



I watched one of the latter to its nest and shot it. 

 [No. 492 $ ]. The nest was a small, cup-shaped hollow, 

 lined with dry grass and leaves, and placed quite in the 

 midst of willow scrub. It contained four eggs. 



Quite in the middle of the island we rose many Stints, 

 and doubtless some of them had also nests. Having 

 hitherto only found them breeding in the open we did 

 not search with sufficient diligence for the nests. 



Seebohm shot a Redpoll with the feathers round the 

 base of the bill dyed saffron-yellow from the pollen of the 

 willow catkins. We think this must be Eichter's ' Evolga ' 

 at last (?). 



A large ' gaggle ' of Bean Geese passed the island. 

 There were at least fifty in it. 



A Pipit the Petchora Pipit the same as those 

 obtained yesterday, was seen and watched while singing 

 by Seebohm. 



On the island close to where we landed there was a 

 huge ridge of ice-blocks, three times the height of a man, 

 forced up by the flood. There must have been a grand 

 ' scrunch ' here. 



