on the Waxwing Nesting in a British Aviary. 361


He said he would give all the lads day-money, and they must all

search, even if it were for a week, till they found the nest. They

sought all that night and the next day till about mid-day, when

a lad called out that he had found the nest; and there it was,

with two eggs, about nine feet high on the branch of a spruce.


.After five days Ludwig snared the old bird—a


beautiful cock ! and you may fancy with what pleasure I took it

in my hand and saw that there were no doubts remaining.

Indeed, I had before been pretty confident about it : Ludwig had

written that I might be cpiite satisfied that it was the right bird.

Martin Pekka had the picture with him at Sodankyla, and as

soon as he came back Ludwig compared the bird with it, and


certainty was doubly sure.You can fancy how


eagerly I waited for Ludwig to produce the eggs. With a

trembling hand he brought them out: but first the nest,

beautifully preserved. It is made principally of black ‘ tree-

hair’ (lichen), with dried spruce twigs outside, partially lined with

a little sheep’s-grass and one or two feathers—a large, deep nest.

The eggs—beautiful! magnificent!!—-just the character of the

American bird. A11 indescribable glow of colour about them.

Ludwig had made for them such a box that even if a horse trod

upon it it would not break.


“ Almost every day (and it is now the sixth since that of

my arrival here) Ludwig has told me the whole story of the

Sidensvans' nest, and I am never tired of hearing it:—How the

season was very backward ; how, in their expedition, he and

Piko Heiki were getting very much out of spirits at the little

success they met with. How he saw this bird in the sunshine.

How, when at last the nest was found, he could scarcely believe

his eyes ; how he went to it again and again, each time con¬

vinced when at the spot, but believing it all a dream as soon as

he was at a distance. The rising and falling of the crest of the

bird, its curious song or voice—all he is eager to tell over and

over again ; and I have the fullest version, with all the “ I said,”

“ he said,” “ Michel said,” “ Ole said,” etc. These Sardio lads,

as you have heard me say formerly, have a good knowledge of

the small birds of their neighbourhood, but they are none of

them sure whether they have ever seen Sidensvans before. As I



