Mr. H. SeeboLm on the Ornithology of Siberia. 3 



where they appeared to have been breeding, as it was only 

 the middle of August. 



TURDUS ILIACUS, Linn. 



I shot the first Redwing on the 5th of June. It appears 

 to arrive earlier than the Fieldfare, and to go further north. 

 On the Arctic circle it built its nest in the willows and birches, 

 but generally nearer the ground than the Fieldfare usually 

 does. In lat. 71 the Redwing was still common and breed- 

 ing on the ground, generally on a sloping bank. I did not 

 see it further north. 



TURDUS DUBIUS, Bechst. 



The first Thrush to arrive at the Arctic circle was this 

 species the Dusky Thrush (T. fuscatus of Pallas). Small 

 parties of it arrived on the 4th of June, and were to be found 

 feeding on the steep banks where the sun had melted the 

 snow. Their call-note reminded me of that of the Redwing. 

 During the next week they were very plentiful, and I began 

 anxiously to look out for their nests ; but within a fortnight 

 after their arrival they had all disappeared, and I saw no 

 more of them until the 12th of July, during our voyage down 

 the river. On this day we cast anchor for a few hours in 

 lat. 69, and I went on shore to explore for the first time a 

 Siberian tundra. I climbed up the steep bank, and found 

 myself in a wild desolate-looking country, full of lakes, 

 swamps, and rivers, in some places a dead flat, in others un* 

 dulating, and even hilly, brilliant with gay flowers, swarming 

 with mosquitoes, and full of birds. In sheltered places dwarf 

 willows and creeping-birches were growing, and (because we 

 were only some fifty versts from the forests) here and there 

 a few stunted larches. Winding through the tundra was the 

 bed of a river, now nothing but a small deep valley, forming 

 a chain of isolated lakes and pools. This river-bed bears the 

 name of the dried-up Doo-din'-ka, and is about fifty versts 

 to the north-west of the real river Doo-dm'-ka. On some of 

 the northern slopes large patches of snow were still lying. 

 Most of the birds evidently had young. I found myself 

 generally the centre of attraction of a little crowd of birds 



9 



