28 TRAVELS OF A NATURALIST 



the crown, similar to that of Tuesday's bride. The 

 attendant females wore red tartan shawls or white ones, 

 and had a red scarf thrown over and covering their white 

 head-dresses. 



This day I was complimented on my Norsk by the 

 landlady's sister, who said I had ' meget Norsk,' but I 

 found out afterwards that the question I had asked had 

 been somewhat wide of the meaning I intended, and was 

 answered accordingly, scarcely to my satisfaction. 



. May 26. 



Friday, the 26th of May, was a very hot day. We 

 rose at five o'clock and were out about six. We went to 

 the wood at the top of the second lake, where we got the 

 nest of the Northern Marsh Tit on Wednesday. 



On the way we took a nest of six nearly fresh eggs of 

 the Wheatear from under stones supporting the sides of 

 the road ; it was of dry grass lined with cow's hair mixed 

 with feathers, etc. 



In the wood we searched every stump and pollard-tree 

 for Tits' nests, watched the birds, etc., but all in vain; 

 our careful looking only produced one last year's nest of 

 doubtful species with a rotten egg in it, and one or two 

 empty ones. 



Coming home rather disconsolately along the middle 

 lake, Alston noticed a morsel of down at the mouth 

 of a large hole in an old pollard willow, and, put- 

 ting in his hand, something hit. Drawing back his 

 hand, out dashed a female Goldeneye, displaying to our 

 delighted eyes seven bright, beautiful green eggs, which 

 proved to have been sat on for about a week. The nest, 

 which was composed of the bird's own down, mixed — 

 probably accidentally — with chips of rotten wood, was 

 about fifty yards from the lakeside, and near which was 

 a small clump of alder-trees, with grass land all around. 



