374 TRAVELS OF A NATURALIST 



Seebohm sleeps in a larger room in Arendt's house, 

 where also we write and eat our meals, and have all our 

 effects. 



Eggs showered in upon us, and we bought eggs of 

 ' Kouropatki ' = Willow Grouse, Bean Goose, and down, 

 and Long-tailed Duck and down, and a nest of five eggs 

 of the Yellow-headed Wagtail. 



We got our first view of the real tundra to-day. 



To-day we took a nest of White Wagtails' eggs [No. 64 

 of our list] , which were a most unusually dark colour. 

 The bird was well seen twice, once on the nest. The 

 nest is a large structure, composed of fine roots with a 

 very few stalks of dry grass outside, and is lined 

 entirely with Reindeer's hair and two or three spiders' 

 cocoons. 



June 20. 



On Sunday, the 20th of June, we had a hard day's 

 work blowing eggs ; and blew, marked, and catalogued 

 123 eggs ; cleaned, packed, and marked the down of a lot 

 of Ducks' eggs. 



Eggs came in rapidly, collected by the Company's 

 servants during their spare time. They are principally 

 Zyriani from Ijma, and appear sharp, knowing, intelligent 

 fellows. 



Amongst the eggs brought in were two more nests of 

 eggs of the Yellow-headed W'agtail [Catalogue Nos. 65, 66]. 

 The nests are composed of dry grass outside, and are 

 lined with Eeindeer's hair and roots. In one nest there 

 are two Pintail's feathers and one spray of Ducks' (?) 

 down. 



A nest and two eggs of either the Siberian Chiffchaff 

 or the other small Willow Wren (sp. ?) was brought to 

 us. We offered a few kopeks more to the finder to show 

 us a nest in situ. 



