HIGH TIDE OF MIGRATION 339 



frozen ground. A fire was made, bread was baked, tea 

 drunk, and we were told the tea-cups were buried. 

 Finally a small birch-tree was felled, and a rough cross, 

 with the Russian oblique footboard, was made and placed 

 at the foot of the grave. 



In the evening there was hardly any ice left in the 

 river, and the surface was as smooth as glass, so we took 

 the boat and rowed across to the creek on the other side 

 of the Kureika. The captain and I each shot a Siberian 

 herring-gull. I also shot a brace of teal. 



Another lovely morning broke upon us, with scarcely 

 a breath of wind. Birds were coming faster than I could 

 keep pace with. In my journal of the 6th of June I find 

 recorded that in a quarter of an hour I shot a couple of 

 Indian pintail snipe, a red-throated pipit, and an Arctic 

 wagtail. I also identified some pintail ducks, some 

 wood sandpipers, and Temminck's stints. I repeatedly 

 heard the loud wild mee-yoo of the wigeon, but did not 

 see the bird. 



I had a fine view of a male smew. Wagtails 

 were extremely abundant, principally the white wagtail. 

 There were many Arctic wagtails, and I shot one grey 

 wagtail (JMotacilla melanope). I shot one red-throated 

 pipit in winter plumage and a couple of female scarlet 

 bullfinches. 



The forest was utterly impenetrable. In most places 

 the snow was too soft for snow-shoes, but I could hear 

 a multitude of thrushes and willow-warblers singing. 

 Now and then a few late geese and swans passed over, 

 and ducks of various species were constantly on the wing. 

 I saw a couple of terns, most likely Arctic terns. 



The tide in the Kureika had apparently turned. All 

 day long the ice came slowly drifting back, and both 

 rivers were once more full of pack-ice. 



