CHAP. xiir. 



HOBBY. 



139 



overhead. We fired at it, and it dropped a large bunch of 

 damp moss, that it was doubtless carrying to its nest. On a 

 bare larch trunk towering high above the surrounding wood 

 we could see, about fifteen feet from the top, a large nest, 

 which we presumed was that of the osprey. 



I rose a dark-winged hawk from the ground, which I have 

 no doubt was a hobby.* Some hours later we saw a similar 

 looking bird, perched high on the naked branch of a dead 

 larch ; a long shot brought it down. It proved a fine male 

 of this species. 



Many of the ancient stems of the larches contained old 

 nest-holes of woodpeckers, and the bark of some trees was 

 riddled from top to bottom with small holes, evidently made 

 by these birds when feeding. One of our sailors shot a 

 male. We saw, soon after, a pair of three-toed woodpeckers, 

 but did not then succeed in securing one of them. On 

 another occasion, we heard the tapping sound of the wood- 

 pecker's beak; a tap, then a slight pause, followed by a 

 rapid succession of taps, and after a second slight pause, 

 a final tap. I imitated the sound, as well as I could, with a 

 cartridge on the stock of my gun. The bird immediately 

 flew to a dead larch trunk, close to where we were standing, 

 and perched, its head thrown back listening, perhaps, some 



from New Zealand. In the valley of 

 the Petchova we were only able to 

 identify it in latitude 65§°. 



* The hobby (^Falco subbuteo, Linn), 

 is a regular summer migrant to tem- 

 perate Europe and Asia, and still breeds 

 in the British Islands. A few winter 



in South Europe, but most appear to 

 migrate into Africa, occasionally stray- 

 ing as far as the Cape. Eastwards it 

 winters in India and South China. In 

 the valley of the Petchora we only met 

 with it in latitude 65J°. 



