iSo 



SIBERIA IN EUROPE. 



CHAP. XV. 



bunting ; and we took two of their nests in the tussocky 

 ridges between the little bogs. The next commonest bird 

 was the red-throated pipit ; and we took two of their nests 

 in similar positions. As we marched across the tundra we 

 fell in with some dunlins,* and took a couple of their nests. 

 This was encouraging. The dunlin was a bird we had not 

 seen at Ust-Zylma, and one possibly that migrated direct 

 across country from Ust-Ussa. We had not walked more 

 than a couple of miles inland before we came upon a 

 small party of plovers. They were very wild, and we found 

 it impossible to get within shot of them ; but a distant view 

 through our binocular almost convinced us that we had met 

 with the grey plover t at last. We had not walked very far 



* The dunlin (Tringa alpina, Linn.) 

 is a circumpolar bird visiting the 

 British Islands in winter, and breeding 

 in considerable numbers in Scotland, 

 being . most numerous in the autumn 

 migration. Its principal breeding- 

 ground is on the tundras beyond the 

 limit of forest growth, but it is also 

 found nesting in considerable numbers 

 south of the Arctic circle. It winters 

 in the basin of the Mediterranean and 

 in Africa as far south as Abyssinia. 

 Eastwards it winters in Beloochistan, 

 India, China, and Japan. On the 

 American continent it migrates as far 

 south as the Southern States and Cuba. 

 This was another of the species which 

 we did not see on migration at Ust- 

 Zylma, the bulk of the migration pro- 

 bably taking place along the coast. 

 We met with it on the tundra as far 

 north as we weut. 



t The grey plover (Squatarola helve- 

 tica, Linn.) was one of the birds which 

 we failed to observe at Ust-Zylma during 

 migration, the main flocks probably 

 migrating along the coast. To obtain 

 the eggs of this species was one of the 

 principal objects of our journey, the 

 only authentic specimens known to 

 exist being those collected by Midden- 

 dorff near the north-east cape in Siberia> 

 The grey plover is a cosmopolitan bird* 

 being found more or less abundantly 

 in every portion of the globe. In the 

 British Islands it is only known as a 

 spring and autumn migrant, being 

 much more numerous in the latter 

 season than in the former. Its breeding 

 grounds are the tundras above the 

 limit of forest growth, where, however, 

 it appears to be extremely local. It 

 passes through Central and Southern 

 Europe on migration, wintering in 



