108 Letters, Extracts, Notices, <!yc. 



Birds' (p. 641) will be found a figure representing the bird 

 on the ground with its elongated primaries raised exactly in 

 the way described by Capt. Sykes. — Eun.] 



Mr. Robert Hall's Expedition to the Lena. — Our readers will 

 be glad to know that our energetic Aitstralian correspondent, 

 Mr. Robert Hall, has safely accomplished his projected 

 journey from Melbourne to London, via Vladivostock and 

 Siberia, as announced in April last ('Ibis/ 1903, p. 270), 

 and, after a short visit tolas ornithological and other friends 

 in fhiglaud and on the Continent, has returned to his home 

 in Australia. Not only so, but Mr. Hall, on his route 

 across Siberia, made a most interesting excursion from Irkutsk 

 down the valley of the river Lena, and formed a good collec- 

 tion of birds, which is now in the Tring Museum. 



Reaching Irkutsk on June 4th of last year, Mr. Hall immedi- 

 ately proceeded on a four-days' coach-journey to Yerkholensk, 

 the head of regular navigation on the Upper Lena, where he 

 arrived on June 9th. Here an open boat was engaged for a 

 five days' drift down the river. The course was continued in 

 a stern-wheel steamer to Yakutsk, the capital of the great 

 province of the same name. Mr. Hall and his companion, 

 Mr. R. E. Trebilcock, were able to collect a few birds every 

 day while the steamer stopped to take in wood for fuel. At 

 Yakutsk a short excursion was made into the interior, and 

 examples of some interesting birds were secured on their 

 breeding-grounds. On their return to Yakutsk an offer 

 was made to the travellers to join a small steamer going down 

 to the mouth of the Lena to convey provisions to a Russian 

 Exploring Expedition. This was gladly accepted, and on 

 July 6th the party reached Bouluu, where the fir-trees began 

 to become scanty and the hills to be bare of timber. On 

 July 12th they were at Larix Island, just within the mouth 

 of the Lena, about 72° N. lat. Here the first piece of true 

 tundra was met with and thousands of Waders were seen, 

 The mosquitoes between Irkutsk and Boulun, some 110!) 

 miles distant, were almost unbearable. On August 21st, 

 Mr. Hall and his companion reached Irkutsk on then 1 return 



