200 SIBERIA IN EUROPE. CHAP. xvn. 



standing. I soon caught sight of another bird, on the 

 ground, lifting its wings as if to attract me from its nest. 

 It then quietly ran off, and I went to the spot but finding 

 nothing, lay down to watch. Harvie-Brown did the same 

 about eighty yards off. It was not long before I caught 

 sight of both birds at some distance. One, which I at once 

 concluded must be the male, remained in one spot, the other 

 was running towards me, stopping on some elevation every 

 few yards to look round. By-and-by it flew between Harvie- 

 Brown and me, and alighted on the other side of me. The 

 other bird soon followed, and remained as before, apparently 

 watching the movements of the restless bird, which I now 

 felt sure must be the female. To this latter bird I now 

 confined my attention, and kept it within the field of my 

 telescope for more than half an hour. It was never still for 

 more than a minute together; it kept running along the 

 ground for a few yards, then ascending one of the ridges 

 looking round and uttering its somewhat melancholy cry. 

 It crossed and recrossed the same ridges over and over again, 

 and finally disappeared behind a knoll about forty yards 

 ahead of me, and was silent. I carefully adjusted my tele- 

 scope on a knoll to bear upon the place in case I lost it, 

 and was just making up my mind to walk to the spot when 

 I again heard its cry, and saw it running as before. The 

 male was still in statu quo. The crossing and recrossing the 

 ridge upon which my telescope was pointed then continued 

 for another quarter of an hour, and at last the bird disap- 

 peared behind the same ridge as before. I gave her a 

 quarter of an hour's grace, during which she was perfectly 



