66 TRAVELS OF A NATURALIST 



must have started immediately after receiving Ole's letter 

 about five o'clock the night before, and we arranged to 

 go after the 'Eagle's nest' to-morrow. To-day he 

 would have been too tired, and the morning was too 

 stormy. 



We had a lazy day, there being nothing much to do out- 

 side, and we packed up this night, as we are to return direct 

 to Maristuen to-morrow after taking the Eagles' nests. 



We took and identified the nest in the fir-tree, a Eed- 

 poll's with five eggs, and we shot the female. Had we 

 looked into the nest we could have identified it without, 

 but having heard that Siskins bred in birch-wood on the 

 Fjelds we did not wish to disturb the birds too much. The 

 nest was composed of small twigs of the tree it was 

 built in — a spruce-fir, the only one we have seen around 

 Nystuen — and it was lined with willow catkins, Skov 

 Eyper's feathers, etc. 



In the evening Ole Lysne went out to look for nests, 

 and came in with our first nest of the Blue-throated 

 Warbler, with six eggs. The nest was on the ground 

 under a juniper bush, and quite exposed. The bird was 

 not seen. It was within two yards of a nest and six eggs 

 of the Meadow Pipit, these latter eggs being long-shaped 

 and dark. 



When Ole heard how good his capture of the Blue- 

 throat's nest was, he was very glad, and made most 

 earnest and tender inquiries after the freshness of the 

 eggs and after their safety. He is getting really keen 

 now, and I shall be much mistaken if he do not prove 

 a valuable correspondent in after-years. 



A lad brought us in to-day a nest and six eggs of the 

 Wheatear. 



June 22. 



On Thursday, the 22nd of June, a warm day, we started 

 from Nystuen about six o'clock, and drove down to the 



