240 SIBERIA IN EUROPE. CHAP. xix. 



near the mouth of the Obb, others on the eastern or 

 the western coast. The stragglers who wander off as far 

 as Archangel and the North Cape, may be barren birds, 

 with nothing else to do. 



After starting this hypothesis, we bethought ourselves 

 that we had with us a list of the birds of Kasan, in a 

 book lent to us by M. Znaminski. These chapters are 

 headed "Materials for making a Biography of the Birds 

 of the Volga," and the work itself is entitled, ' Descrip- 

 tive Catalogues of the High School of the Imperial 

 University at Kasan/ edited by MM. Kovalevski, Leva- 

 kovski, Golovinski, and Bogdanoff; published at Kasan in 

 1871. From this book, Cocksure drew for us the following 

 information : 



" Little and TemmincJcs stints are seen in flocks during 

 the first fortnight in May on the Volga, from Simbirsk to 

 Kasan, and on the Kama as far as Uffa. They are not seen 

 during the summer, but are found again at Simbirsk in the 

 middle of August. 



" Curlew sandpipers are seen in Kasan in spring and 

 autumn only, both on the Volga and Kama. 



" Sanderlings are seen in autumn at Kasan, and have been 

 seen in spring on the Sarpa. 



" Grey plovers are seen in small flocks in May and 

 September, near Kasan, but are not to be met with every 

 year. 



" Yellow-headed wagtails arrive at Kasan, with the com- 

 mon species (viz. middle of April): a few pairs are seen 

 until the beginning of June." 



