416 Dr. E. Hartert on Birds from 



new field, so that I decided to explore it on my way from 

 Australia to Europe. Before the journey to and from the 

 navigable waters of this great river was completed it was 

 necessary to hire some two hundred and ten horses. The 

 mouth of the Lena was reached on July 12th. There we 

 found the only piece of true tundra met with by us. The 

 arrival at Irkutsk on our return took place on August 21st. 

 The weather, according to report, was the finest that had 

 been experienced for four years past, and certainly we had 

 much sunshine during almost the whole of our tour. Twelve 

 inches below the surface the ground was frozen in July. 

 The total number of specimens collected was four hundred 

 and one. Among them Fringillidse were abundant. The 

 birds, excepting at Yakutsk, were all collected upon the 

 river-banks, and none were obtained higher up the river 

 than Gigalowa. About that place the avifauna shewed a 

 change, those species met with down the stream being 

 markedly different from those found immediately up the 

 stream. The distance between Gigalowa and the delta of 

 the river is three thousand miles. At some sixty spots 

 between these two extremes we were able to land while the 

 small steamboat took in wood for fuel. Upon the banks, 

 as far as Bulun, pines, firs, beeches, and willows grew 

 densely, the beeches and pines to about Yakutsk and the 

 firs for the most part to Bulun, where trees became stunted 

 or absent. 



Between Gigalowa and Yakutsk there is a regular summer 

 river-trade. From Yakutsk a small boat visits the fishing- 

 stations lower down the river. We were given the oppor- 

 tunity* of proceeding from Yakutsk to the river-mouth in 

 a small steamboat which was taking provisions to a Russian 

 Geographical Expedition just outside in the Arctic Oceau. 

 In Yakutsk during May birds are numerous, while in June 

 they have proceeded further north, and in part have dis- 

 persed for breeding. 



For much of the time we had the advantage of a midnight 



* Bv the kindness of "VTons. Gandatti, the present Governor of Yakutsk, 

 and Mons. Zooyef, the chief of the town of Olekminsk. 



