144 



SIBERIA IN EUROPE. 



CHAP. XIII. 



Of the Lapp-tit,* we saw two pairs and a few solitary birds. 

 The note of the wax wing t had long been familiar to me, for 



* The Lapp-titmouse (Parws cinctus, 

 Bodd.) has never been found in the 

 British Islands, but inhabits the Arctic 

 pine forests of Europe and Asia, wander- 

 ing southwards to a limited extent in 

 the depth of winter. The eastern form, 

 which has been described as a distinct 

 species by Sharpe and Dresser under 

 the name of Par us grisescens, differs 

 only in being slightly paler in colour 

 and less russet on the flanks, and is 

 certainly not deserving of specific rank, 

 the specimens which we obtained in the 

 valley of the Petchora being inter- 

 mediate between the two forms. The 

 eastern form is extremely abundant in 

 Siberia, and has been recorded from 

 North China, but not from Japan. 



t The Bohemian waxwing (Ampelis 

 garrulus, Linn.) is only an accidental 

 visitor to the British Islands, appear- 

 ing, however, in some winters in large 

 numbers. It is a circumpolar bird, 

 usually breeding in the pine regions 

 at or near the Arctic Circle. This bird 

 is a very irregular migrant, wandering 

 southwards on the approach of cold 

 weather, and revisiting the north 

 whenever a thaw of sufficient length 

 occurs. 



The winter of 1866-67 will long be 

 remembered by British ornithologists 

 as one of the great waxwing seasons. 

 The whole year 1866 (the year of the 

 cattle plague) was wet, the mild winter 

 at each end being scarcely distinguish- 

 able from the cold summer between. 

 On New Year's Day frost and heavy 



snow set in. Early in November great 

 numbers of the Bohemian waxwing 

 made their appearance. The largest 

 flocks were seen in Norfolk. North of 

 that county many birds were shot at 

 Scarborough, Newcastle, Berwick, up to 

 Aberdeen and Inverness ; whilst south- 

 wards they were obtained at Dover and 

 Rye. I was fortunate enough to meet 

 with a small party of these interesting 

 strangers as I was walking down the 

 Glossop Road to business into Sheffield 

 on the morning of the 29th of December. 

 My attention was arrested by three or 

 four birds which flew across the road 

 and alighted in a laburnum tree in 

 Miss Ray's garden. I imagined from 

 their flight that they must be starlings, 

 but fancying that they showed white 

 marks on the wing, I had the curiosity 

 to step across the road to get a nearer 

 view of them. The tree on which they 

 alighted was only a few yards from the 

 road, and I watched them over the 

 wall for some time. I recognised 

 them at once by their crests. They 

 were very active, putting themselves 

 in all sorts of positions, and did not 

 seem at all disturbed by my scrutiny ; 

 and when at last they flew away, and 

 I turned round to continue my walk I 

 found that quite a small crowd had 

 collected behind me, one of whom 

 (apparently a Sheffield grinder, and 

 consequently well up in pigeons and 

 dogs) volunteered the information that 

 they were French starlings. Two 

 days later two specimens were shot 



