6 BEITISH BIRDS. 



repeated as late as 1870 in what professed to be a scientific work on the 

 History of British Birds. The merit of the discovery belongs to John 

 Wolley. This indefatigable ornithologist spent five consecutive summers, 

 and two out of the four intervening winters, in Lapland in searching for 

 the eggs of this and other rare birds ; but, owing to the erratic habits of 

 this species, he did not succeed in his object until the fourth summer. 

 Like the Rose-coloured Starling, the Waxwing continually changes its breed- 

 ing-grounds. These two birds breed in enormous colonies in localities 

 which they probably choose from year to year, in places where an abundant 

 supply of food can be obtained. Wolley's headquarters were at Muoniovara, 

 a Swedish village on the river Muonio, opposite the Russian village of 

 Muonioniska, about halfway between the Gulf of Bothnia and the 

 southern extremity of the Porsanger fjord. During the first three 

 summers, although he was very successful in obtaining eggs of many birds 

 of which authenticated specimens were then unknown, it was not until 

 the summer of 1856 (his fourth season) that the nests of the Waxwing 

 were obtained by his faithful servant Ludwig Matthias Knoblock. Six 

 nests were brought in to him, but he himself did not see one in situ. 

 In 1857 he succeeded in finding a nest, which had been deserted a day or 

 two before, and beneath which the broken eggs were lying on the ground ; 

 but during that season eight nests were brought to him. The following 

 summer this district was apparently chosen by the Waxwings as their 

 headquarters ; and Wolley's collectors obtained nearly a hundred and fifty 

 nests containing nearly seven hundred eggs, most of which were sent to 

 him in England, he having visited Iceland that year in search of the Great 

 Auk. On his return from this expedition his health began to fail, and in 

 November 1859 British Ornithology lost its most promising student at the 

 early age of thirty-five. 



The first discovery of the nest of the Waxwing was made in the valley 

 of the Kemi in Russian Lapland. Ludwig made an expedition to the 

 Kittila river early in June, having in some places to wade up to his middle 

 in snow. Arrived at Sardio, where he had apparently commissioned the 

 natives to search for him, he found, as would naturally be the case whilst 

 the snow was in process bf melting, every one at home " deep in dirt and 

 laziness." He soon ascertained from them that a pair of Waxwings had 

 been seen in the neighbourhood ; and accordingly he started off at once 

 into the forest, and there he saw a bird which he took to be a Waxwing, 

 but he was not quite sure, for in the sunshine the end of its tail looked 

 white, instead of yellow as in the picture with which Wolley had provided 

 him. On the following day it was cloudy, and Ludwig saw the yellow on 

 the tail, and had no longer any doubt. He engaged the Russian boys by 

 the day, telling them that they must search, even if it were for a week, till 

 they had found the nest. They sought all that night and the next day till 



