SIBERIA IN EUROPE. 



CHAP. XI. 



a number of new birds in the town itself. We secured a 

 wood sandpiper * out of a flock of four ; a Temminck's stint,t 

 of which there were several. We saw a barn-swallow t twicej 

 and shot a pair of ringed plovers. § We had also an 



'^ The wood sandpiper (^Totanus 

 glareola, Linn.) is conrined to the 

 palsearctic region during the breeding 

 season, being known in the British 

 Islands as a somewhat rare visitor 

 during migration, and having once 

 been Icnown to breed near Newcastle. 

 •It breeds in various places in Northern 

 and Eastern Europe, including Holland, 

 Denmark, Scandinavia, North Germany, 

 and the whole of Russia. Eastwards 

 it is found throughout Siberia and 

 Turkestan. It winters in South Africa, 

 Beloochistan, India, Buimah, and the 

 islands of the Malay Archipelago, pass- 

 ing through China and Japan on migra- 

 tion. In the valley of the Petchora 

 we did not see it farther north than 

 latitude 68°. 



t Temminck's stint (^Tringa tem- 

 mincki, Leisl.) is confined to the eastern 

 hemisphere, breeding only on the tun- 

 dras beyond the limit of forest growth. 

 In the British Islands it is a compara- 

 tively rare bird, only found on migra- 

 tion. It winters in the Mediterranean, 

 principally on its southern shores, and 

 it extends as far south as the Sahara. 

 It probably extends eastwards in the 

 breeding season as far as Kamtchatka, 

 and winters in India and China. 



J The common swallow (^Hirundo 

 rttstica, Linn.), one of our most familiar 

 British birds, breeds throughout the 

 whole of Europe and J*lorth Africa, 



migrating to South Africa in winter, 

 a few only remaining in the oases of 

 the Sahara. Eastwards it breeds in 

 Northern and Central Asia, wintering 

 in India and the islands of the Malay 

 Archipelago. The Eastern forhi has 

 been described as a different species, 

 Jlirundo giitturaJis (Scop.), and may be 

 considered as a subspecies connecting 

 the European bird with the very nearly 

 allied American {orm,Hinmdo horreomm 

 (Barton). In the valley of the Petchora 

 we were probably at the extreme 

 northern limit of the range of this 

 bird, which only accidentally wanders 

 as far north as the Arctic circle. 



§ The ringed plover (^/Egialitis hior 

 ticula, Linn.) is confined to the western 

 portion of the palfearctic region, not 

 having been found farther east than 

 the watershed of the Lena in the north 

 and Turkestan and Persia iu the south. 

 In the British Islands it is common and 

 resident. Northwards it is found as 

 far as the mainland extends, and also in 

 Nova Zembla, Spitzbergen, Iceland, and 

 Greenland. It does not go into South 

 Africa. It frequents the seashore as 

 well as the inland rivers and lakes, and 

 is a more or less paiiial resident 

 throughout the greater part of its 

 range ; in the extreme north being 

 found in the summer onl), and in the 

 extreme south iu winter alone. 



