18 



A. L. V. Manniche. 



insect life the otherwise so waste and severe surroundings a strangely 

 cheerful, summer-like appearance. The swimmers — loons, eider ducks 

 (both mollissima and spectabilis) longtailed ducks and terns — began 

 brooding in the first half of the month. At this time the young 

 snow-buntings left the nests without being quite ready to fly as 

 yet. From the blocks of stone on which they took their seat, their 

 continual, monotonous chirping was heard day and night, while 

 the parents brought them food, — Small parties of Tringa canutus, 

 Calidris arenaria and Strepsilas interpres ran about screeching on 



Fig. 9. Scene from "Bjergandesø". July 1907. 



the mountain plains and near the shores of Ihe freshwater lakes 

 seeking food which consisted almost exclusively of insects and larves 

 at this time of the year. Not rarely did I meet with such flocks of 

 waders at the border of the few remaining snow-drifts, the melting 

 of which now took place at such a furious rate that large areas 

 lying below were quite inundated. As far as I was able to judge, 

 it was especially fine parts of plants (algœ) which the birds were 

 seeking here. — About the middle of July these roving flocks of 

 waders which had increased in number daily, left the country. Ac- 

 cording to my investigations the flocks were chiefly made up of 

 males, — their share in hatching the young ones being now finished, 

 — besides a few females, the brood of which had been lost in some 



