Arctic Expedition of 1 900-1 903. 5 1 3 



Stepan Sergeier saw a nest of this Diver near the river 

 Omolai. 



Cohjmbus septentrionalis was common on the Taimyr, and 

 numbers were nesting there, while it was also met with 

 commonly on New Siberia. 



Fulmarus glacialis was only once seen when crossing the 

 Nordenskold Sea. 



Uria mandti was observed on two occasions on New 

 Siberia. 



Larus glaucus was rare on the Taimyr, but was found 

 breeding on the south coast of Taimyr Island. Mr. Birulia 

 met with it on New Siberia and believes that it breeds there. 



Larus affinis (Larus cachinnans var. of Birulia). — On the 

 Taimyr this Gull commences nidification soon after its 

 arrival, and the first nest, containing two eggs, was found 

 on the 16th/29th June, 1901. The nesting-place selected is 

 a large flat stone surrounded by the water running from the 

 melted snow and ice, which forms small lakes on the tundra, 

 where they are protected from the arctic fox and wolf. 

 Mr. Birulia saw many nests on his expedition along the 

 south coast of Taimyr Bay. On some larger stones he 

 found two nests, one of which was always an old, half- 

 destroyed nest, and it would seem that only one pair of Gulls 

 makes use of the same stone. 



The nest of this Gull is constructed as follows : — 

 Firstly, a layer of moss is placed on the stone and then come 

 layers of moss and reindeer-hair mixed with wing-feathers 

 of Geese, the feather portion of these quills being inside and 

 the stem of the quills outside the walls of the nest. From 

 this mode of construction, the appearance of the structure was 

 not very elegant owing to the protruding shafts of the quills, 

 but the nests were so firmly built that they could be taken 

 off the stone uninjured. They were warmly lined with 

 down. The eggs varied from two to three in number, and 

 were olivaceous in colour with dark spots. Larus affinis also 

 nests in larger numbers on the small islets in the lakes of the 

 Taimyr, in company with two other species of Gulls. On 

 the south coast Mr. Birulia found a moderate-sized lake and 



