146 ^- L- V. Manniche. 



nest, and then she sought her eggs under plants and in hollows 

 in the earth; at last she crept under the photographic apparatus, 

 which I had left on the ground. When back again from this last 

 reconnoitring, her hope was extinguished. With a short cry she 

 mounted in the air and disappeared with a flight swift as lightning 

 in a western direction. For an hour I awaited the return of the 

 bird, but in yain. 



The normal breeding position of the Sanderling is high; the 

 body is only ligthly pressed against the eggs, the neck and head 

 are rather erected. 



The time of incubation is 23 to 24 times 24 hours. 



The bursting of the egg-shells will generally begin already some 

 3 days before the emergence of the young. The mother-bird wall 

 immediately carefully carry the shells away from the nest in order 

 not to attract the attention of Ravens and Skuas. 



Betw^een the emergence of the young will elapse not more than 

 a few hours; as soon as the latest born young one feels sufficiently 

 strong, that is when the down is dry, all the nestlings will leave 

 the nest at the same time. If the old female considers the nearest 

 surroundings of the nest to be unsafe or too diffident in food for 

 the brood, she will immediately lead the young away. Thus I have 

 met with newly hatched young ones, hardly one hour after their 

 departure from the nest in a distance of 500 to 600 meters from 

 this. In the cases concerned the disturbance by my frequent visits 

 to the nests during the breeding may have caused the early depar- 

 ture. 



The earliest date on which I found newly hatched Sanderling's 

 chicks was July 11"\ the latest August 2'"', but this must be consi- 

 dered abnormal. 



In the following 12 to 14 days the chicks are guarded by their 

 careful and extremely vigilant mother, who leads them over stony 

 plains, by overflows of melted snoAv and fresh water beaches; they 

 are eagerly occupied in seeking food, which at this period exclu- 

 sively consists of small insects and larvæ and pupæ of these. 



I have often observed, that the chicks take shelter under the 

 wings of their mother from the cold nights and the heavy showers- 



The chicks power of resistence against cold and severe weather 

 is relatively small. 



One night when the temperature was -^ 1° I found at a beach 

 of a little lake a brood of young ones some 2 to 3 days of age; 

 they were Avith great care guarded by the old female. Having taken 

 two of the chicks and placed them in my telescope-case, on the 

 bottom of Avhich I had at first spread some flakes of cotton, I went 



