THE BIRDS OF MONGOLIA ETC. 91 



the lakes being slightly frozen over, these birds depart into the deserts, 

 or hide themselves betAveen the clumps of moss in the marshes, and wait 

 until the sun has melted the thin ice, when they again return to the lakes. 



We saw this species only once in Kan-su, in September. At Koko-nor 

 the first migrants appeared on the 23rd of March, and were very abundant 

 there in the end of that month. In crossing the Gobi desert w^e did not 

 meet them, as they most likely migrate, like so many other birds, along the 

 eastern edge of Gobi. 



At Lake Hanka they appear early in April, and are very numerous 

 about the middle of that month. Few stop, however, to breed there, 

 most likely on account of the scarcity of suitable localities in the marshes, 

 which are usually overgrown with high grass. 



It is remarkable that during the principal migration I several times 

 noticed, about Lake Hanka, small flocks of from five to ten individuals flying 

 northwards, about 200 yards high. 



244. Gallinago solitaria, Hodgs. 



We met w^ith G. solitaria on the unfrozen brooks in the mountains of 

 S.E. Mongolia, in Northern Tibet, about Burchan Budda at an actual height 

 of 12,000 feet, and also in Kan-su and about Koko-nor. It was scarce in 

 all the above places, and was usually found singly in the most solitary 

 localities, commonly on dry shores of mountain-brooks, but never on clayey 

 ones. 



Its spring migration occurs at Koko-nor between the 27th of February 

 and about the middle of March. 



In the Ussuri country I met with it on the brooks free from ice near 

 Japanese Sea. 



245. Gallinago heterocerca, Cab. 



Is only scarce in S.E. Mongoha, during migration about the beginning 



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