A HEAVY BAG 361 



we felt it might be useful to us all to be provided 

 with two strings to our bow. At sight of the steamer 

 we lost no time in packing up our things and crossing 

 the river. We had had three days' hard work. 

 Glinski had skinned ninety-nine birds, and we were 

 taking about thirty more with us to skin on the other 

 side. 



On our return I found that during our absence the 

 Arctic willow-warbler had arrived in some numbers. 

 Early the next morning I heard the now well-known 

 song from the door of our house. After breakfast I had 

 a turn in the forest, and heard many of these birds 

 singing. The song is almost exactly like the trill of 

 the redpoll, but not quite so rapid and a little more 

 melodious. The bird did not seem shy, and I soon shot 

 four. Nor did it appear to me so restless as most of the 

 willow-warblers. The Siberian chiffchaff, for instance, is 

 a most unquiet bird; it seems always in a hurry, as if its 

 sole object were to cover as much ground as possible. 

 On the extreme summit of a spruce fir I discerned a 

 little bird shivering his wings and making a feeble 

 attempt to sing. It began with a faint plaintive note 

 or two, then followed the "weest" of the yellow- 

 browed warbler by which I recognised the species, 

 and, lastly, it finished up with a low rapid warble which 

 appeared to be variations upon the same note. This 

 is probably all the song of which this little bird is 

 capable, but every particular is interesting respecting a 

 warbler which now and again deigns to visit the British 

 Isles. 



Whilst walking through the forest I suddenly came 

 upon a bird preparing to fly from a dense clump of trees, 

 and was fortunate enough to shoot it before it got 

 well on the wing. It proved to be an example of the 



