Arctic Expedition of 1900-1903. 595 



he did not succeed in finding it. On the 10th/23rd July he 

 captured a family of four young birds in down. Eleven days 

 later he caught a young bird which had the quill-feathers 

 just appearing, and on the 26th July/8th August he obtained 

 young birds which could just fly, after which small and then 

 larger flocks of young birds were seen on the sand-banks, 

 most of which had still remains of down on their heads. 

 They are left by their parents directly they can fly, and are 

 then not shy but can be easily approached. At the first 

 approach of winter, on the 13th and 14-th of August (new 

 style) the last flocks were seen, but a few stragglers remained 

 later, and the last two Sanderlings were observed near a 

 sand-bank on the coast on the 5th of September (new style). 



Strepsilas interpres was met with both on the mainland and 

 on the island of New Siberia, where it was one of the most 

 common of the Waders. 



Gi'us leucogeranus. — JMr. Birulia did not personally meet 

 Avith this Crane, as he only visited the Yansk district in the 

 winter. He was informed by the natives that it occurs in small 

 numbers every year on the Yansk tundras up to the coast of 

 the Arctic Ocean and as far north as Cape Sviatoi Nos, as 

 well as on the estuary of the Yana and on those of the other 

 rivers, but breeds there very seldom, and chiefly on the border 

 of the forest-zone. It is said, however, to breed frequently 

 near the village of Kazatchie, and the native who gave this 

 information said that he always found two eggs in the nest. 



Somateria spectabilis. — On the Western Taimyr small flocks 

 were seen early in June, and the first nest was found on the 

 22nd June/5th July. On 8th/21th August a female and two 

 tolerably large young in down were seen. On the island of 

 New Siberia Mr. Birulia had a better opportunity of observing 

 the King-Eider, as it was more numerous there than on the 

 Taimyr, and arrived earlier. He found the first nest, con- 

 taining a full clutch of eggs, on the 17th/30th June. The 

 nesting-places were on the steep banks of the tundra-lakes or 

 else in low-lying places, usually near a river or a rivulet, 

 both near the sea and also in the interior of the island in 

 valleys where there are many lakes or rivers. The first nest 



