Ramble in Lapland. 167 



formed by the stem and the fallen superstructure of a birch 

 tree. The nest was composed entirely of very fine dry 

 white grass, with a layer of damp moss at the foundation. 

 There were no sticks about it, and it was very neat and 

 compact, I both saw and heard a single Tree-Pipit {Anthus 

 arhoreus) singing to-day, but I unfortunately missed it. In 

 the afternoon we again ascended the fjelds, where we observed 

 Temminck^s Stints gyrating in parties of three or four high 

 up in the air. At 6.-30 p.m. we crossed the river to Gulhol- 

 men. All then looked quiet and as usual, but at 7.30 the 

 whole of the ice in the upper reaches of the Tana river had 

 broken up and was coming down in tens of thousands of 

 tons at the rate of about four miles per hour. This is the 

 first indication that the natives have of the long-looked for 

 change from winter to summer, though for days past wherever 

 one went the roaring of waters could be heard, indicative of 

 the rapid melting of the snow in the high grounds. It is 

 this natural water-supply that is tiie primary cause of the 

 breaking up of the ice ; so severe is the winter in these lati- 

 tudes that the river becomes frozen to the very bottom, and 

 it requires the accumulated force of the melted snow-water, 

 getting under the ice, to lift the mass bodily up, and once 

 afloat, it is rapidly propelled seawards. The movement 

 to-night took place gradually and steadily, nor was there 

 so much of that rush and confusion which one might expect 

 to see, where such a mighty change was taking place. It 

 seemed, however, to create a feeling of excitement, not only 

 in us, but in the birds ; for the Geese on the opposite shores 

 of the rivei', the Long-tailed Ducks, Divers, and other birds 

 seemed to make more clamouring than usual, as if joyous 

 at the signs of approaching summer. A single Long-tailed 

 Skusx {Stercora?~ius parasiticus) went up the river to-night, 

 and we observed a solitary Swallow hawking round the house 

 at Gulholmen, evidently just arrived. 



June 11th. Most of the ice had gone out while we slept, 

 and this morning we had fine warm summer weather ! On 

 the fells to-day we observed pairs of Snow-Buntings {Plec- 

 trophanes nivalis) flitting merrily about ; they were not yet 



