Birds of the Upper Muonio River. 79 



Axser segetum. Bean-Goose. 



Plentiful on migration, arriving on the 11th of May. We 

 could not, however, find the breeding-places and did not see 

 any birds in June. 



Anas boschas. Mallard. 



Rare, but we saw a few pairs just below the 69th degree 

 of latitude, which were evidently breeding. It was first met 

 with on the 13th of May. Like the Common Redshank, it 

 seems to be confined to the head- waters of the river. 



Dafila acuta. Pintail. 



Very common, and one of the earliest Ducks to appear 

 (15th of May). It arrives paired, and is first seen sitting on 

 the small patches of open water above and below the rapids. 

 The nests are often situated some distance from the river. 

 We found the first on the 9th of June, placed in a hummock 

 in a wet swamp under some dwarf willow-bushes. 



QUERQUEDULA CRECCA. Teal. 



Fairly common, arriving on the 18th of May. Like the 

 last-named species, the Teal often breeds at some distance 

 from the water, and hence the nest is only to be found by 

 beating. We obtained the first on the 21st of June. 



Mareca penelope. Wigeon. 



Very common. It arrived on the 19th of May and bred 

 in the neighbourhood of the river. The first eggs were found 

 on the 7th of June. 



Fuligula cristata. Tufted Duck. 



Arrived on the 15th of May. It was fairly common, 

 breeding in small ponds and inlets close to the river. 



Fuligula marila. Scaup. 



Very common, breeding on small rocky islands. Many 

 nests were washed out by the heavy floods which came down 

 in the middle of June. 



Clangula glaucion. Golden-eye. 



Does not breed further north than the extreme limit of the 

 fir-trees at Ainettivaara. Even there the trees are not of 



