tundra for half an hour during the proper season without finding from 

 one to half a dozen of them. 



The nests are usually built in the driest parts of the tundra, 

 in a hummock, a tuft of grass, or perhaps a little bunch of dwarf 

 willow. As one comes upon it the female usually flutters off at one's 

 feet, and is immediately joined by the male. Both ho^ver about or 

 fly restlessly from tussock to tussock, uttering protests at the intruder 

 as long as he remains in the vicinity. 



If the eggs are nearly ready to hatch the female shows the great- 

 est solicitude, and when the young have hatched her anxiety is 

 still more pronounced. In one instance the female was frightened 

 from her eggs just as they were about to hatch, and ran along the 

 ground a few yards uttering a plaintive chee-chee-chee in a fine, vibrat- 

 ing, metallic tone, at the same time dragging her outspread wings 

 and tail on the ground and fluttering as if in mortal agony. 



The nests vary in size, but average about two and three-fourths 

 inches in depth by five inches across the top on the outside; the cen- 

 tral cavity is about two inches deep and three inches across the top. 

 The walls are sometimes thick and strong, composed of an abundance 

 of material, or may be a mere cup-shaped shell, barely sufficient to 

 hold the eggs. The majority of nests are composed of rather coarse 

 grass, sometimes with moss interwoven, forming a thick layer, which 

 was frequently found to be as thoroughly water-soaked as a wet 

 sponge. The amount of material used depends upon the situation ; 

 in damp places a much greater amount is made use of, while in dry 

 places the nests are much lighter. Though the outer part of the 

 nest is frequently formed of old and often grimy or partly decayed 

 vegetable matter, the interior invariably contains fine, soft, yellow 

 blades of last year's grasses. These, in many instances, are unmixed 

 with other materials, but are sometimes combined with feathers of 

 ptarmigan or other wildfowl. In a few cases the lining of the nests 

 examined by me consisted of a warm cup of feathers inclosed in fine 

 grass, and one had a thick lining of feathers and dog's hair. Some 

 nests are so small that they may be inclosed in the hand, while others 

 can scarcely be inclosed in both hands; one of the smallest nests 

 might be easily inserted in the cavity of a large one. The largest 

 nest I found contained the largest eggs, and probably belonged to an 

 unusually large bird. The eggs are heavily covered with blotches and 

 zigzag lines of various shades of brown, and the ground-color, when 

 visible, is a light clay with a pale greenish tinge. 



70 



