the Birds of the Lower Petchora. 227 



extent along the ground, and for quite half a minute remained 

 in this singular position. 



The following are a few extracts from Harvie Brown's 

 Journal. 



(Concerning the cries of the birds, considerable difference 

 exists between our respective opinions as to how they should 

 be rendered in words. They are, however, three in number : — 

 first, the call-note between male and female, a double whistle 

 the first syllable short, the second drawn out; second, the 

 alarm-note, a single plaintive whistle, about a half note higher 

 than that of a Golden Plover; and, thi7'd, a treble whistle, the 

 second syllable having a lower intonation than the first and 

 third. This latter is not so commonly used, and appears to 

 be the call-note of the males to one another when flying apart 

 from the females, and is generally uttered when the birds are 

 flying high in the air. The males associate in small parties 

 of three and four ; and a peculiar phase of flight is then ob- 

 servable. They rise to a great height and dash about in 

 erratic curves, or diving down impetuously, rapidly rise again ; 

 they then remain almost stationary, like a Temminck's Stint, 

 raising the wings over the back until they nearly meet, and 

 finally, flying with long Tern-like sweeps of the wings, utter 

 their musical treble note.) 



'' dth July, 1875. — About 12 o'clock we went across to the 

 tundra, this time higher up the river, beyond the ruined hut. 

 Seebohm and I again renewed our search for Grey Plovers, 

 and having found a pair, watched the female to the nest. 

 This nest was placed at the foot of a ridge, close to damp 

 ground, not on the top as was the case with the previous 

 nests. We were a long time over this nest, quite an hour 

 and a half, having at first lain down within ten yards of it. 

 The bird, after we shifted our position, went on very quickly ; 

 and I shot her as she again moved ofi". These foui* eggs are 

 lighter-coloured than any we have got hitherto. 



" Shortly afterwards we saw a bird fly off" just where Simeon 

 some time before had been searching. We at once lay down ; 

 and in about ten or fifteen minutes the bird went onto 

 the nest, Mhich contained also four eggs. This nest was on 



