124 A SUMMER ON THE YENESEI 



it must nest on the tops of the Pamir Mountains ! The 

 first nest ever found was that taken by Mr. H. L. Popham 

 at the river's mouth in 1897, and as the bird had not 

 hitherto been recorded from Golchika, I did not expect 

 to find it so far south. However, on 6th July, as I 

 was returning from a long round over the tundra that 

 lay in the northern angle of the Yenesei and Golchika 

 Rivers, all at once I saw a little rufous curlew, which 

 was standing on a tussock about twenty yards away, 

 watching me quietly. When I stopped she flew away, 

 but soon alighted again and looked at me. Full of 

 excitement, but still rather sceptical as to the likelihood 

 of finding eggs, I lay down and watched her, but at the 

 end of an hour and a half I could come to no conclusion, 

 for the bird only strolled about and preened herself 

 nonchalantly. I was not even certain of her sex, and 

 her solitude and her quiet behaviour made me doubt 

 whether, after all, she might not be a non-breeding bird. 

 Nevertheless, I marked the place and turned home- 

 wards, meaning to come back next day. On the way I 

 saw two more curlew-sandpipers on a high slope of the 

 tundra, but they were very wild and would not permit 

 a near approach. 



On the morrow I turned out early and tramped 

 over eight swampy miles of tundra. The second pair 

 of sandpipers were not to be seen, but the first bird was 

 still pottering round the same spot. To-day she was 

 a little more demonstrative, and flew about uneasily. 

 Once she uttered a sharp, anxious note : ivick-ivick-wick, 

 two or three times repeated. By this time I was con- 

 vinced that the nest was close at hand, but it was 



