138 



THE WORLD OF LIFE 



CHAP. 



handful of quills. The flock was evidently migrating to the 

 interior of the tundra, moulting as it went along." 



This species retires southwards before the winter, and 

 visits us every year in September or October, being especially 



abundant in Ireland, where 

 it is said to be found in 

 every bog and marsh. 

 On the Siberian tundra 

 it no doubt feeds largely 

 on the abundant berries, 

 but also, of course, on the 

 food it finds in swamps 

 and river-margins. 



Coming back to our 

 more special subject of 

 the mosquitoes, Mr. See- 

 bohm writes as follows. 

 After describing some of 

 his early excursions after 

 birds or their nests he 



adds : 

 Fig. 15. 

 Mr. Seebohm in his Mosquito Veil. " That day (June 2nd) I 



recorded in my journal, with 

 many groans, the arrival of the mosquitoes. Horrid-looking beasts, 

 with bodies a third of an inch long, monsters, the Culex damnabilis 

 of Rae, with proboscis infemali veneno mnnita. I foresaw that we 

 should have opportunities enough to study the natural history of 

 these bloodthirsty creatures to our heart's discontent." 



About a month later he writes when searching for eggs, 

 properly identified : 



"Doubtless the proper thing to have done would have been to 

 lie down and watch the birds on to their nests ; but to become the 

 nucleus of a vast nebula of mosquitoes is so tormenting to the 

 nerves, that we soon came to the conclusion that the birds had not 

 begun to breed, and that it was no use martyrising ourselves to find 

 their eggs. The mosquitoes were simply a plague. Our hats were 

 covered with them ; they swarmed upon our veils ; they lined with 

 a fringe the branches of the dwarf birches and willows ; they covered 

 the tundra with a mist." 



