BRITISH BIRDS. 



also much more resembles in the colour of its eggs. Its call-note is very 

 similar to that of the Meadow-Pipit, but is rather louder and a little baser 

 in tone. It is very decidedly a swamp-bird, being rarely seen on the dry, 

 grassy hills or on the rocky slopes. 



In the valley of the Petchora Harvie-Brown and I found it very abun- 

 dant. At Ust Zylma it arrived a couple of days after the sudden break- 

 up of winter, together with the Golden Plover, Fieldfare, Redwing, Grey- 

 headed Yellow Wagtail, Lapland Bunting, &c., on the 17th of May, a 

 week later than the Swans, Geese, and Shore-Larks, and a week earlier 

 than the Stints and Sandpipers. They were in small parties, generally 

 flying up wind, the bright sun glancing on their breasts, enabling us easily 

 to identify them. They seemed to be in a hurry to get to their breeding- 

 grounds, and rarely alighted to feed. During twelve days we only suc- 

 ceeded in shooting now and then an odd bird. On the 29th of May the 

 wind was nearly east and warm. In the afternoon it was very hot, but there 

 had been a smart frost during the night. We turned out at five, and worked 

 hard till ten without getting a bird. I had taken down notes of the songs 

 of the Arctic Bluethroat and the Siberian Chiffchaff, but otherwise had an 

 empty bag. After breakfast and a pipe in our hammocks, I turned out 

 again along the banks of the Petchora, which was then full, almost to 

 overflowing. On " Pautre cote " (as Piottuch and we always called the west 

 bank) it had in many places overflowed, and we could see some square 

 miles of willow and birch forest under water. I bagged a brace of Wood- 

 Sandpipers and a Ring-Dotterel, and then crossed a sandbank to a marshy 

 pool, where numerous frogs or toads were croaking in a muffled tone like 

 bubbling water; they were extremely shy, and hid themselves in the 

 mud at my approach. After waiting some time, three noses appeared 

 above the water. I fired, but without effect on the reptiles ; but started 

 seven or eight Sandpipers and a Red-throated Pipit. I went in pursuit of 

 the latter bird, and found myself upon a flat marshy piece of ground 

 covered with hillocks of grass almost close to each other. Many Pipits 

 were sitting in the narrow trenches between these hillocks, and rose at my 

 feet on all sides as I walked on, and very soon half a dozen were, within 

 thirty paces of me. I chose a double shot, reloaded, and, as I walked up 

 to my birds, actually rose two or three Pipits between me and them; 

 they had allowed themselves to be shot over, but evidently objected to be 

 walked over. Unfortunately I had only two cartridges left, so I shot 

 another brace and returned to our quarters for more ammunition. Once 

 again on the marsh I found the Pipits still there, and bagged half a 

 dozen more. My attention was then taken off for some time in secur- 

 ing a Sparrow-Hawk, the only specimen we shot in the Petchora. A 

 couple of days afterwards we twice crossed the same piece of ground, 

 but did not see a bird; they had evidently been resting after a long 



