Remarks during Excurßons along the Southern Volga.

J. he firft birds of paflage, ducks, ftarlings, and even wild-geefe,had fhewn themfelves in February, but had again difappeared.Wild fowl of difFerent kinds, particularly the red mountainducks, which ufually fly in pairs, we now obferved in the fiffuresof the ice; and the birds of prey hovering fingly in fearch oftheir quarry. The fnow-hammer and winter-lark remained heretili the fecond of April, before they emigrated to the northernregions.

At length, after a long and fevere winter, two calm foggy

days intervened with the new-moon of April; the wind

changed to the Eaft, and brought on a permanent thaw. Thus,

VOL. i. N in

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