158 



SIBERIA IN EUROPE. 



CHAP. XIV. 



and perching freely upon the birches growing on the islands 

 formed in the marsh. Their usual cry was a loud no or ns, 

 but what seemed the call-note to the female resembled the 

 sound i-i-i-h; the song is a low chatter like that of the 

 swallow. Ducks were coustantly coming and going to and 

 from the open places on the swamp. The widgeon, judging 

 from the frequency of its cry, seemed the commonest 

 species; its loud m-e-e-d-yu was continually to be heard. 



In the evening we left the little village of Habariki, and 

 proceeded down the river. All the next day we crept 

 slowly down the mighty Petchora, a strong current in our 

 favour, but the wind contrary, and with only a couple of 

 oars propelling us along. The scenery was often interesting. 

 The west bank, lofty and steep, was now and then clothed 

 to the water's edge with forests of birches and pines ; the 

 east bank at that part was a dead flat covered with willows. 

 Numberless islands studded the water, hbwrias running up 

 amongst them, sometimes of great picturesqueness. The 

 tirrr'-eek' of the Terek sandpiper resounded continually ; 

 and sometimes we heard the cry of the common sandpiper.* 

 We shot a brace of the latter, the first we had secured ; we 

 found the species very wild. Two or three times during the 

 day we pulled up on an island or on the mainland. On a 



* The common sandpiper (Totamis 

 hypoleucus, Linn.) is confined to the 

 eastern hemisphere, being a regular 

 summer migrant to the British Islands, 

 Northern and Central Europe, and 

 Siberia. In the basin of the Mediter- 

 ranean and China it appears to be a 



resident, wintering in South Africa, 

 Eeloochistan, India, the islands of the 

 Malay Archipelago, and Australia. In 

 the Talley of the Petchora we did not 

 see it farther north than the Arctic 

 Circle. 



