ORNITHOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS 



109 



rose tVoui bis nap in tbo coruer, the swift-footed lly killer suddenly 

 dropped flat on the floor, with withdrawn neck, making himself as small 

 and flat as possible, and remained thus perfectly immovable until the 

 dog turned his head the other way, when he ran off to the darkest cor- 

 ner of the room, where he remained until the former laid down in his 

 old ])lace. Then he started .the fly hunting again; the dog rose once 

 more, and the same performance was repeated. Within half an hour, 

 however, he had learned that the dog did not take any notice of him 

 whatever, and consequently he afterwards paid as little attention to the 

 dog as to man. 



The nest, spoken of above, was found on the islet Toporkof, on the 

 4th of June, 1883, and contained three eggs. They were lying, with 

 their pointed end inwards and downwards, in a slight hollow in the 

 ground between the stems of four Angelica arcliangelka. Dry particles 

 of the leaves and stems of this plant, and numerous seeds of the same, 

 formed the nest, being evidently brought together by the bird itself. 

 The situation of the nest was about 40 feet from the line of high water, 

 and about 14 feet above the level of the sea. 



One of Die eggs was quite clear ; the second contained a small embryo 

 in which only the large eyes were distinguishable; the third had a larger 

 foetus, with well-developed wings, legs, &c. 



In general appearance the eggs recall those of ^<7ia^?'^is' semipalmata^ 



being larger, however, and of a somewhat deeper ground color, in two 



eggs of set No. 21772 more olive, in the others more buff. The spots 



are, on the whole, smaller than, in average, specimens of the former, 



being in that respect more like 2E. hiaticula. They, consequently, are 



more unlike eggs of Eudromias morinellus than those of typical ^gia- 



lites. 



Dimensions of the eggs. 



Locality. 



21771 I 1377 Severnoje, Berin}; Island. 

 21770 1156 Village, Bering Island . . . 



21772 



Toporkoff, Bering Island . 



Date. 



July — , 1882 

 June 4, 1882 



June 4, 1882 



Diameters. 



Millimeters. 

 36. 5 by 27 



36 by 20. 5 



37 by 27 



36 by 27. 23 

 37. 25 by 27 



36 by 27 



37 by 27 



