the Birds of the Lower Petchora. 229 



young, and were walking away, when we stumbled upon the 

 nest, which contained three eggs. A young bird, apparently 

 only very lately hatched, crouched within two feet of the nest, 

 its yellow colour being very conspicuous against the grey 

 lichen-covered ground. The young closely resemble the 

 young of Charadrius pluvialis, but have the darker parts of 

 the upper plumage larger and more conspicuous*. 



" To-day we found great areas of tundra quite unoccupied 

 by the species. They appear to be thinly scattered over the 

 tundra, preferring the lower-lying damper portions, and where 

 the hummocks lie in ridges and not broadcast. Doubtless 

 they prefer these situations partly, if not wholly, on account 

 of the greater quantity of yellow-green moss growing there, 

 which must afford excellent concealment for the young, to 

 which it closely approximates in colour. We have observed 

 before, in Scotland, how difficult it is to detect young Golden 

 Plover (as compared with some other young of Waders) as 

 they lie flat upon the yellow patches of moss, head down, and 

 legs drawn in under the body." 



We obtained several nests of eggs, besides the above, w^hich 

 were deeply incubated. These we laid upon warmed cotton- 

 wool along with the young bird, and covered them all over 

 lightly with gooseys down. Early the following morning we 

 started on a trip to the Golievski banks, which stretch across 

 the entrance of the Petchora Gulf, in the Company^s steamer; 

 and we took the precious boxful of young and eggs along with 

 us, having covered them over, down, cotton, and all, with a 

 mosquito-veil. The sun was hot and the day fine; and five of 

 the young were successfully hatched out, and were strong and 

 healthy. 



As will be seen from the plates, the eggs of the Grey Plover 



* Since returning home Ilarvie Brown has compared specimens of the 

 young of both species. Besides the above distinction, not to speak of the 

 absence or presence of the hind toe, he finds that the young of the Golden 

 Plover are brighter in colour, and that the white of the lower parts, where 

 it joins the upper, is suffused with yellow, as also is the light-coloured 

 collar on the back of the neck. In the young of the Grey Plover the 

 dorsal plumage is duller in tinge, greener, and the white parts bordering 

 on the yellow are purer. 



