100 



SIBERIA IN EUROPE. 



CHAP. X. 



the great authority on gulls and terns, we cleared up the 

 difficulties surrounding this species, and finding that it had 

 no colloquial name in our language we ventured to christen 

 it the Siberian herring-gull. The species was" not new to 

 science, but we claim to have been the first to add it to the 

 list of European birds. 



Another species new to our list was the golden plover,* 

 which also arrived in flocks. These birds were special objects 

 of our attention, partly because they were a valuable addition 

 to our larder, and still more so because we were anxiously 

 on the look-out for the arrival of the grey plover, the eggs 

 of which were one of the possible prizes which we hoped to 

 obtain. All our efforts to obtain even a glimpse of the 

 latter species on migration proved, however, in vain. As 

 we subsequently met with them on the tundra, we can only 

 suppose that they migrate to their breeding-quarters by a 

 different route, probably following the coast line. If they 

 do fly across country, they must travel at such a high 

 elevation that they are rarely observed inland. r 



Wild geese and swans increased in numbers daily, and 



* The golden plover (CliaradHus 

 pluvialis, Linn.) is another of the 

 western palsearctic species, the eastern 

 limit of whose range is bounded by 

 the Himalayas and the watershed of 

 the Yenesay and the Lena, being re- 

 placed in Eastern Siberia by a nearly 

 allied species, Charadrius fuhus (Gmel.), 

 and on the American continent by 

 Charadrius virginicus (Burkh.), the 

 two latter species being easily distin- 



guished by having smoke-grey instead 

 of white axillaries. Within this range 

 it breeds in the north temperate and 

 Arctic regions, including the British 

 Islands, Some remain in South Europe 

 to winter, but the majority appear to 

 pass on to North Africa, a few migrating 

 during the winter season as far as South 

 Africa. The Asiatic birds winter in 

 Beloochistan, some of them probably 

 crossing Arabia into Africa. 



