220 Mr. R. Collett on Phylloscopus borealis. 



no pains^ in finding any nests. At least six males were 

 singing continually throughout the whole day close to our 

 station^ Bornsund, at Salmi-Javre j but the females hardly 

 ever permitted themselves to be seen, while the enormous 

 swarms of mosquitos rendered any close observations almost 

 impossible. We searched for two days unceasingly amongst 

 the singing males. We found a number of other nests in 

 the immediate neighbourhood, but obtained no evidence that 

 nests of P. borealis lay near the spot where the males were 

 singing. 



On June 25th I was again at Matsjok ; and now, in the 

 course of two days, I found three nests of this species, each 

 containing half-grown young ones. At that time it was 

 easy enough to find the nests, as we were attracted to the 

 birds by their very peculiar call- note. The males had by 

 this time almost ceased to sing, and it was now altogether 

 difficult to discover the birds. A good way of finding them 

 was to place one^s self close to a nest of Fringilla monti- 

 fringilla, and cause its owners to utter their loud calls of 

 anxiety. This never failed to bring a number of the small 

 birds of the district to the spot. One single sharp note of 

 P. borealis and a glimpse of it between the leaves would be 

 sufficient to show that its quarters were not far off". Then I 

 had to search for the place ; and on getting near the nest, 

 the parents exhibited great signs of anxiety, although they 

 were sometimes cautious enough, and I was once obHged to 

 wait patiently for two hours exposed to the attacks of the 

 blood-thirsty mosquitos before the female would fly to her 

 nest amongst the tall forest plants. 



The first nest I found (on July 37th) was placed at the foot 

 of a slope thickly covered with birch trees, and was well 

 hidden by Cornus suecica, halfgrown Chamcsnerion angusti- 

 folium, Veronica longifolia, and Melica nutans. It lay under 

 the root of a tree, which partly formed a roof to the nest. 

 The other nest, found the same day at another slope in the 

 wood, had no such protection; but both nests were com- 

 pletely domed, as is usual in those of the other Phylloscopi. 

 They were most loosely constructed ; the outer base was 



