IN CHASE OF CHIFFCHAFFS 105 



whether owing to Captain Arendt's hospitality or to the 

 effect of the arsenic in the skins, we could not sleep. 

 At three o'clock, finding that the sun had been up some 

 time, we bethought ourselves that we could not do better 

 than follow his example, so we accordingly arose, and 

 shouldering our guns, marched off to the Siberian chiff- 

 chaff valley. We chose good positions in the wood, and 

 disposed ourselves to watch and wait. Before long I 

 heard the distant chivit of the much longed-for bird, 

 rising from the bottom of the valley. I pressed forward 

 cautiously through the trees, and caught sight of the little 

 warbler's white throat glistening in the sunshine, as it 

 uttered its unpretentious song, perched on the top of a 

 pine. I could not approach it nearer than within sixty 

 yards without making a considerable detour to avoid 

 the stream with its high mud walls, crumbling down on 

 all sides, so I risked a shot. It was too far and missed. 

 Meanwhile a second Siberian chiffchaff set up its 

 chivit. I started off in pursuit of the cry and soon 

 came within shot of the bird, perched, as usual, on the 

 summit of a spruce fir. I fired, ran to the tree, searched 

 diligently through the moss at the foot, but found 

 nothing. Whistling for my companion to come up, I 

 began to run the tree over with my telescope, when, to 

 my great delight, I caught sight of my bird lying dead 

 on a spray within six inches of the top. We saw no 

 more of these birds during the morning, but shot two 

 wheatears, which had by this time grown common, a pair 

 of blue-throated warblers and a willow- wren. Nearly all 

 the green wagtails which we saw had more or less 

 brown on the breast ; they were doubtless last year's 

 birds which had not yet assumed the full mature plumage. 

 On our return a peasant brought us three young ravens 

 and some duck's eggs, probably pintail's. That day I 



