134 SIBERIA IN EUROPE. CHAP. xn. 



marched off to the Siberian chiffchaff valley. We chose 

 good positions in the wood, and disposed ourselves to watch 

 and wait. Before long I heard the distant " chivit " of the 

 much longed-for bird, rising from the bottom of the valley. 

 I pressed forward cautiously through the trees, and caught 

 sight of the little warbler's white throat glistening in the 

 sunshine, as it uttered its unpretentious song, perched on the 

 top of a pine. I could not approach it nearer than within 

 sixty yards without making a considerable detour to avoid 

 the stream with its high mud walls, crumbling down on all 

 sides, so I risked a shot. It was too far and missed. Mean- 

 while a second Siberian chiffchaff set up its "chivit." I 

 started off in pursuit of the cry and soon came within shot 

 of the bird, perched, as usual, on the summit of a spruce fir. 

 I fired, ran to the tree, searched diligently through the moss 

 at the foot, but found nothing. Whistling for my companion 

 to come up, I began to run the tree over with my telescope, 

 when, to my great delight, I caught sight of my bird lying 

 dead on a spray within six inches of the top. We saw no 

 more of these birds during the morning, but shot two wheat- 

 ears that had by this time grown common, a pair of blue- 

 throated warblers and a willow wren. Nearly all the green 

 wagtails which we saw had more or less brown on the breast ; 

 they were doubtless last year's birds, that had not yet assumed 

 the full mature plumage. On our return a peasant brought 

 us three young ravens and some duck's eggs, probably pin- 

 tail's. That day I recorded in my journal, with many 

 groans, the arrival of the mosquitoes. Horrid-looking 



