A SUMMER ON THE YENESEI 127 



answered to Mr. Popham's description — a little depres- 

 sion in the moss, of an apple's diameter, and deeper 

 than the nests of most of the waders. The four eggs, 

 greenish in ground colour, were much blotched with 

 umber at the larger end, like those of a snipe. The nest 

 was so narrow and so deep that, as they lay, they were 

 tilted almost vertically, with their apexes pointing 

 downwards, and the blunt mottled ends uppermost, 

 flush with the surrounding brown tundra. In measure- 

 ment they average 35'1 x25*l millimetres. Compared 

 with those taken by Mr. Popham, my eggs are less 

 distinctly marked, and the blotches are more blurred 

 and confluent.. 



The discovery of this nest so close to Golchika 

 encouraged me to search the country further, and 

 although I found no more eggs, I was fortunate enough 

 to secure specimens of the young in down, as will be 

 told in a future chapter, and also had the opportunity 

 of observing the bird's behaviour throughout the 

 summer. 



As the result of these observations, I came to the 

 conclusion that this nest was not in a very typical 

 position. Judging by other breeding-grounds that I 

 located later on, I should say that characteristic curlew- 

 sandpiper ground was the slope of the dry, open tundra, 

 especially where the reindeer moss was more or less 

 broken up by tufts of grass, and where the bird could 

 have an uninterrupted view of the surrounding 

 country. 



Mr. Popham shot the female at the nest, and it is 

 significant that all my skins are those of hen birds. As 



