312 CHARADRITDAL 
. ayeee Fo he oe 27 Mz 
means a rare breeding-bird in the district. From the sine 
2 
its loud whistle was to be heard and its pretty nuptial flight 
observed. It executed, now witha trembling motion of the 
wings, now with motionless wings gliding high in the air, 
wide circles, continually uttering its varied whistle. On 
Sk 29 J 
the 9/22 June, the 17/30 June, and a Tuly. nests, each con- 
taining a single fresh egg, were taken (we were compelled by 
circumstances to satisfy ourselves with incomplete clutches), 
and on the a ray a nest was found with three shghtly incu- 
bated eggs. The eggs vary greatly in form, size and colora- 
tion. The nests were placed in grassy places on the Tundra, 
and consisted of a shallow depression lined with a few dry 
erass-bents and a white tangle. At the end of June and in 
the middle of July we secured three lots each of four young 
indown. The nests were all found by accident, for the incu- 
bating male or female did not leave the nest until almost 
trodden on, when they puffed out their feathers until they 
appeared almost double their normal size. They practised 
the usual wiles to get the intruder away, and one female 
even let herself be caught by a dog. The male was always 
most careful of the young, whereas the female, when in the 
vicinity, has the appearance of an uninterested spectator. 
Of this species also, during the breeding-season, small flocks 
wandered about. They joined the young birds later on and 
formed large flocks, which remained until late in the 
autumn.’ The description of one fresh egg was “‘ slightly 
defined pyriform, fine in grain, slightly glossy. Ground- 
colour pale clay, marked with some large and a few small 
dirty-brown spots and a few small washed-out pale violet- 
erey spots.”” Measurements, 44°5 x 30°5 mm. 
Another egg of a different clutch, also fresh, was 
“slightly defined pyriform. Ground-colour pale yellowish- 
white with a greenish tinge, sparingly marked with tolerably 
large and smaller dirty-brown to blackish-brown and washed- 
out pale violet-grey spots, which are closer together at the 
blunt end.” Measurements, 49°98 x 383°8 mm. Another 
ege of another clutch, also fresh, was marked similarly to 
last but smaller in size, viz., 42°2 x 31°56 mm. The clutch 
of three slightly incubated eggs were “‘of the usual oviform 
shape. Ground-colour pale green, closely marked with 
small yellowish-brown to blackish- brown spots, which are 
chiefly drawn on the long axis of the egg, and are collected 
