ARRIVAL OF BIRDS 315 



legged buzzard. Monday, the 14th of May, brought our 

 third week to a close, a perfect wintry day, with bright 

 hot sun and hard frost. It had been a somewhat dreary 

 week. I increased my number of skins by only twenty, 

 but added five fresh species to the list. 



On the 15th of May we had a smart breeze from the 

 south-east, and it was bitterly cold. There was some 

 sunshine in the morning, but the afternoon was cloudy, 

 and in the evening we had snow. I walked across the 

 Yenesei to the village and shot a crow. It was all but a 

 thoroughbred hoodie. I bought a capercailzie and a 

 willow-grouse from one of the peasants. The latter bird 

 was beginning to show the summer plumage, having 

 changed the feathers of the upper part of the neck. 

 Another bird which I added to my list was the white- 

 tailed eagle. It was perched on a pine on the banks of 

 the great river. I tried to stalk it, but snow-shoes are 

 too noisy on a frozen crust of snow for the keen ears of 

 an eagle, and I failed. Finding that the peasant was 

 still resolved not to ruin his own gun by shooting unlucky 

 birds with it, I arranged with him to drive me over to 

 the ship in the evening, and to lend him my muzzle- 

 loader in order that with it he might shoot me some 

 crows. On my return to the ship I saw a couple of 

 peregrines and a large owl, and heard that four geese had 

 been seen flying over. 



During the night a considerable quantity of snow fell, 

 and next morning the wind was south-west with sleet. 

 In the afternoon we had an occasional gleam of sunshine, 

 and in the evening the wind fell, but the sky was cloudy. 

 The snow was very soft, but it thawed slowly. We had, 

 nevertheless, many indications of summer. I saw at least 

 a dozen flocks of geese, each containing from six to 

 twenty birds. The first harbinger of mosquitoes also 



