422 ICE-BOUND ON KOLGUEV 



we saw were dark examples ; the old males came later. The last record 

 I have is on September 13, after which we left. Every isolated distinct 

 mound (those convex circular mounds I have elsewhere described) was 

 a well-used resting place of this species. Some of the castings contained 

 vertebrae of small fish, but the majority were composed of birds' bones. 

 I only once detected the bones of a small mammal. This goes to show 

 that the owl does its sea passage on an empty stomach. I have 

 mentioned in this book a case where a snowy owl tried to take a white- 

 fronted gosling. The Russian and the Samoyed name for this bird 

 both mean 'snuff' or 'sneeze,' and have reference, no doubt, to the 

 bird's hoarse-breathed noise when disturbed. 



FALCONIDiE 



Falco peregrinus tunstall. Peregrine Falcon. 

 Sapsan (R.). Har-na-wi (S.). 



Until the autumn migration, the peregrine falcon was rare on Kolguev. 

 We came upon an eyrie on June 17. Here four eggs were laid in a 

 hollow scratched in the ground, on a little level in a bank which sloped 

 to the river Gusina. There was not a sign of a casting by the nest. 

 Though seven days had elapsed since its mate was shot the tiercel was 

 still circling over the spot on June 24, apparently unmated. On 

 August 26 I saw an old falcon on Mount Sowandeyi ; and she hung 

 persistently screaming about the same spot. During the latter end of 

 August and the beginning of September we had several immature birds 

 on passage ; singly, or two or three together. 



Falco sesalon tunstall. Merlin. 

 Derbnic socol (R.). Irrah (?) (S.). 



The only merlins we saw were on August r6 and August 17. On 

 the former date a female flew two or three times round the tent, and as 

 she passed within two yards of the opening she turned her head and 

 looked in. On the latter date we saw three together flying low down 

 across the tundra. 



