170 STANAVIALACHTA REVISITED 



the birds were almost quite silent, and did not call to each 

 other as they usually do. 



After carefully packing the eggs, we walked on, and 

 speedily started another pair. This time we lay down 

 together, as nearly as we could tell, on the spot from 

 which the birds rose, which seems to be generally from 

 forty to fifty yards from the nest. The clouds of 

 mosquitoes formed such a mist on the tundra that we 

 had some difficulty in marking our birds ; but by raking 

 the horizon with our binoculars and getting well bitten 

 through our veils in the process, we soon found the 

 female, and watched her to a ridge just opposite to us. 

 She soon settled down ; and within a quarter of an hour 

 after we had lain down we were both perfectly satisfied 

 that she was on the nest. We gave her a few minutes 

 grace, and then walked up to the nest, without making 

 any effort to shoot the bird, having perfectly identified 

 her, and being almost tired out by the mosquitoes. The 

 eggs in this nest were considerably incubated. The nest 

 was placed, as before, in a hollow on a ridge. The 

 ground on this ridge was not so mossy as usual, and 

 there was much bare brown turf to be seen. Whether 

 this had anything to do with the colour of the eggs it is 

 difficult to say ; but the fact is that these eggs are quite 

 brown in ground-colour. 



It was very late, or rather very early morning when 

 we returned to our quarters, and we had to spend an hour 

 slaughtering mosquitoes before we could make the room 

 habitable ; then we had our dinners to cook and our pipes 

 to smoke before we could retire to rest. At noon I 

 turned out of my hammock and spent the day indoors. 

 The wind was north-west, and there were continual hints 

 of rain. Our men were tired after the long row the day 

 before. They were not in good condition, nor could it 



