42 TRAVELS OF A NATURALIST 



capital dinner, and nice bedrooms afterwards, and we 

 went early to bed. 



Among the birds we saw to-day w^ere Fieldfares in 

 great abundance, a few breeding ; White Wagtail, a pair 

 near the house ; and Wheatears in great numbers. 



June 6. 



On Tuesday, the 6th of June — a warm but not hot day 

 — we were out about 9 a.m., and walked about two 

 English miles along the road up the valley, and returned 

 along the river to the station. We saw a Dipper, Eing- 

 ouzels, Fieldfares, Wheatears, two or three Eedstarts, 

 Willow Wrens very plentiful up to the deep snow-line, a 

 couple of Tree Pipits, Keed Bunting common — and we 

 heard the Cuckoo. I shot a male Blackcap, which had 

 been feeding on cranberries — swallowed whole— which 

 last year's fruit having been so completely preserved 

 by the snow, even the flavour remained, as I personally 

 verified. 



We took a Fieldfare's nest with six eggs which had 

 been sat about a couple of days, but few seem to be 

 breeding yet, as we saw many going in a flock as we 

 arrived near Maristuen yesterday. 



The birch-woods are quite dark yet, and the ground 

 around is wet and marshy from the melting of the snow. 

 A very pretty lichen ('? Eeindeer Lichen) is growing here 

 in some quantity. 



Keturning to lunch we separated afterwards, Alston 

 taking the upper woods, where he fired at (and missed like 

 a man !) a Skov Ryper. He saw three of them altogether. 



My route was down the river about a mile and a half, 

 and I returned through the willow and osier woods 

 (Vidie-beltet). I wounded and lost a Bluethroat and put 

 up a Great Snipe. The Bluethroat uttered a note like a 

 Whitethroat at the beginning, ending with some short 



