6 TRAVELS OF A NATURALIST 



and he also gave us various useful hints as to the mode of 

 breeding of the Picidce and other birds. He himself goes 

 this season to Nordland to collect. 



Our Norsk sentences we find useful, and we may find 

 them more so when we get away from places where nearly 

 every one speaks English. 



May 11. 



On Thursday, the llth of May, not finding Mustad to 

 our fancy as a locality, we left at 8 a.m., and drove the 

 first stage to Lien. On the way we had the great good 

 luck to see a Northern Jay, which we could have killed 

 had we had the big gun out. He settled in a tree and 

 allowed a close approach, then flew downwards and into 

 the forest. We heard and saw great numbers of Bramb- 

 lings, but they were not nesting. They were wild, and 

 perched high up. One fine old cock with rich black head 

 gave us, however, a close inspection before flying off, and 

 we returned the compliment. 



At Lien we stopped two or three hours, and went out 

 with the stick-guns in an open part of the forest in which 

 there was comparatively little snow, and in which Alder 

 and Birch, principally the latter, were growing. Here I 

 shot a Fieldfare, a Kedwing, and a Whinchat, and Alston 

 shot a fine Wryneck. The latter when wounded twisted 

 its neck in a very characteristic way, and tried to bite. 

 The Fieldfares and Kedwings are not breeding, but the 

 latter are in full song, which is quite clear and distinct 

 from that of the Thrush. Bramblings were plentiful 

 here, but most unapproachably wild. I missed one or 

 two with the big gun (Alston's breechloader). This 

 station has every appearance of being a good one for 

 birds. 



After bread and cheese and milk (no ale was to be had) 

 at Mustad, we drove on to Skoien, about nine English 

 miles, and down hill almost all the way, Mustad being 



