f)8 Tup: Wilson Bulletin— No. 105 



for two seasons previous, by the various members of the 

 jmrty. 



During the summer of 11)14, JJr. M. C. Tauquary, zoolo- 

 gist of the expedition, and I were stationed at North Star 

 Bay to study the biology and geology of the region about 

 Wolstenholme Sound. In the course of our field work we 

 repeatedly saw the knots at many different places. They 

 frequented most, and were most often observed about, sev- 

 eral small ponds near tlie shore not far from the trading 

 station, but they also fed along streams far inland, and 

 flew over the plateaus along the ice-cap. Dr. Tauquary 

 and I were constantl}'^ on the look-out for the nests, but 

 for a long time could find no clue as to where we might 

 expect to find them. 



About the middle of June we were returning from an 

 all-day tramp back toward the ice-cap in pursuit of our in- 

 vestigations when we flushed a bird from a fZr^fl.§-covered 

 plateau over which we crossed on our way to headquarters. 

 We did not then liave time to search thoroughly, so we 

 carefully marked the locality, and agreed to come back the 

 next day to look again. The next day a violent blizzard 

 was raging, and foul weather continued for ten days, with 

 the consequence that we failed to go back to the plateau 

 as soon as we had intended. 



WJien finally the storm abated, I set out at once to the 

 locality, bent on finding the nest. Witli little difliculty 1 

 found the place ; but before I had approached within a hun- 

 dred yards of it a pair of knots flew away. When they were 

 out of sight I hid among the rocks and awaited their re- 

 turn, confident that when they came back I could readily 

 follow them among the rocks through my powerful Leitz 

 glasses. 



I waited about a quarter of an hour, when one of the 

 birds stooped like a hawk and alighted near the spot where 

 I had flushed the birds when they left. Most circumspectly 

 it slowly made its way to a little depression and nestled 

 down. I rushed to the spot and was repaid for my long 

 search by seeing the bird flutter away in the characteristic 



