ON THE OENITHOLOGY OF LAPLAND. 367 



of the merganser, which it rather resembles, by its 

 larger size (at least, it is considerably thicker), by 

 its clearer colour, and by its peculiar shape, being 

 pointed alike at both ends. 



The red-breasted merganser (M. serrator, Lin.; 

 " sma skrake," Sw. ; " vuofta goalse," Lap.). On 

 our journey up we saw a merganser on April 14, 

 in the open water at a waterfall in a river over 

 which we passed. This bird was far commoner 

 than the last. All the eggs which we obtained 

 were taken on the ground. 



The egg of the smew is very rare in the north. 

 I may mention that one of the late Mr. Wooley's 

 best collectors has informed me that in ten years' 

 collecting, in the Munio district, he has only suc- 

 ceeded in obtaining eight eggs of the smew. It 

 is described as breeding in holes, and the egg is 

 so like that of the widgeon, that the only way of 

 detecting the difference is by examining the tex- 

 ture of the shells under a microscope. 



In vain did I make the most diligent inquiries 

 after the smew (M. Albellus, Lin. ; " sal skrake/' 

 Sw.) ; I never could detect it breeding here. 

 The settlers, however, certainly had a confused 

 notion that such a bird is occasionally seen on 

 these waters, but I fancy they confounded it with 

 the red-necked grebe (Podiceps rubricollis, Lath. ; 

 "gra strupig dopping," Sw.), which bird breeds 



