the Birds of the Lower Petchora. 301 



bunches or single stems of which are also found growing 

 through the Sphagnum-co\ered portions. 



The grey hummocky ground is curiously intersected by nar- 

 row natural trenches^ about a foot and a half deep, which are 

 probably formed by the snow-water as it trickles down towards 

 the pools and inland sea in spring. These trenches are 

 mostly at right angles with one another and connected, form- 

 ing raised squares of tundra between. Their edges and sides 

 bear arctic brambles in greater profusion than the rest of the 

 surrounding slopes ; and the bottoms are usually covered with 

 grasses and Carices, though sometimes bare of vegetation, and 

 showing only the dark peaty soil. Looking at the thick beds 

 of arctic brambles and the dry, conveniently deep, comfor- 

 tably broad trenches, one could not help thinking of how 

 luxuriously one might rest in them, and — to use the happy 

 expression of a travelled friend, in reference to the '' multe- 

 bor '' of Norway — '' milk the rich juices of their fruits into 

 his up-turned lips/^ but, alas ! the mosquitoes !! 



Having now endeavoured to describe the general aspect of 

 the inland sea and its surroundings, and the more charac- 

 teristic features of the Little-Stint ground, we propose to go 

 even a little further into detail, and relate the discovery of 

 each of the sets of eggs and young which we obtained, and 

 which, for more convenient reference, we will number 1, 2, 

 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 — Nos 1 and 2 being young in down, and 

 the others complete sets of eggs. Besides these we obtained 

 another single young bird somewhat older than these. 



As already mentioned (p. 297), after landing and depositing 

 our baggage on board and in the hold of the wreck, we went 

 along shore towards the inlet. Here we searched the edges 

 of the pools in the meadow and of the ooze of the inland sea 

 for Stints. Dunlins were abundant ; and small '^ trips " of 

 Stints were frequently detected careering overhead, or wheel- 

 ing over the water ; but they were wild, and seldom offered a 

 fair shot. We went over the whole of the peninsula, and shot 



son, of Glasgow Uuiversity, and Mr. Jolm Sadler, Vice-Secretary, Royal 

 Botanical Society, Edinburgh. 



