90 FALCO GYRFALCO. 



before, when some kind of Hawk flew angrily round hira. There 

 had been Hawks' nests there for many years. The old spot was 

 covered with good grass. It was a long time before we saw- a bird — 

 and then only one, without any cries of alarm. At last the hen came 

 up, with food in her claws, and dashed screaming into a clifi" at which 

 I had looked in vain for a nest. A short time before, a man had 

 seen a bird fly out of a low detached cliff; and here was the nest, 

 covered with dung, at a short distance from the ground, in a kind of 

 recess. I could climb so as to touch, but not so as to see more than the 

 heads of two downy young, which were continually chirping. Hoping 

 for a nest-egg, I made various attempts to get a peep ; and at last, 

 from above, I was able to see three young ones, perhaps a fortnight 

 old, or nearly so, and an egg. I trebled a string I had in my 

 pocket, and the man let it down for my support. I tied it on, and 

 so was able to reach into the very dirty nest and carry off the egg, 

 which I afterwards found to have a full-sized chick in it, probably 

 dead before I took it, but still not putrid. 



[The locality of this nest was shown by Mr. Wolley to Mr. Simpson and 

 myself in 1855, as we were descending the river.] 



§ 195. Four. — Nyimakka, Enontekis Lappmark, 18 May, 1855. 



Taken by Petari, who was with me the preceding year, from the 

 very same nest from which I then took a single egg. There were 

 large young inside. 



§ 196. Four.— ^Yest Finmark, 24 April, 1855. 



Just blown by me. They were taken about ten o'clock last 

 night by Lassi, in company with another man, who climbed up to the 

 nest on a perpendicular cliff, by the help of a rope let down from above. 

 The nest, they say, was very old, and had been repaired or used for 

 many years. It was on a little tributary of a stream, in the valley 

 of which I took the nest last year [§ 193], Very near the nest was a 

 Fox's spoor, and they say the birds had evidently attacked it ; for it 

 had hopped about in the snow, and stuck its back in a bush. I 

 have just come from another nest [§ 198] with Lassi; and he says 

 the bird was exactly the same in appearance, voice, &c. The eggs, 

 even at this early time of year, are several days sat upon. 



§ 197. Four.— West Finmark, 24 April, 1856. " L. M. K." 

 Taken by Ludwig and Lassi from the same nest out of wliich the 



