36 TRAVELS OP A NATURAL/ST 



May 31. 



On Wednesday, the 31st of May, Alston was still seedy 

 and out of sorts and stayed in the house. So I started 

 alone to search the big wood for Bramblings' nests. I 

 found none, but came across a second Goldeneye's nest in 

 a tall, rotten fir-stump about fifty yards from the river. 

 Seeing some dotvu on the side of the stump, I began 

 to climb up. The hole was about 12 feet from the 

 ground. Just as I looked into it and put in my arm to 

 take out the eggs, crash went the stump, breaking sharp 

 off about a couple of feet from the ground. I landed on 

 my feet and was not hurt, though in recovering myself 

 slightly strained a muscle in my side, which was a little 

 painful for a time. The eggs — five or six in number — 

 were, of course, all smashed, save one, which had become 

 rolled up in a portion of the down, and was fresh. 



I found also a couple more nests with young of the 

 Northern Marsh Tit, one in a rotten post of a fence in 

 the wood, the other in a tree. I saw the side of the nest 

 in the post, and it had pieces of alder-bark amongst other 

 materials. We are too late now, I fear, for any more eggs 

 of this species, at least in this locality. 



Keturning to the wood I found another Goldeneye's 

 nest, but containing only one egg, which was buried at 

 least a foot deep in a mass of lichen, moss, etc., in the 

 stump of a pollard-birch. 



I found also a Long-tailed Tit's nest, the entrance of 

 which I could not find, so made one for myself. It had 

 no eggs, but was warmly lined with feathers. 



Alston saw a bridal procession in boats pass down the 

 lake — not so picturesque a sight as that on horseback. 



Ju7ie 1. 

 On Thursday, the 1st of June, I went in the morning 

 about three miles up the other river along the Hardanger 



