©fp Wuvbltt 



15 



some. But it never did. I found the bay all right and beside a big fire on a 

 well sheltered place and after a good warm meal I soon felt the warmth re- 

 turn in my body, and spent a night not so bad after all. 



Next morning I was awakened by the cries of Cranes, and discovered 

 two Little Brown Cranes walking around on the tundra with much gravity and 

 precision. For quite a long while I lay motionless watching them, trying 

 to spy out their nesting place, but only to see them fly away after their feed, 

 so far away to the interior that I gave up all further investigations about 

 thern. As the very same foggy and rainy weather was dominating I found 

 the best thing to do was to proceed on my eight hours march back to camp, 

 and with the aid of my pocket compass I got there without very much 

 trouble. The following day, after a long, weary sleep, I was awakened by 

 the rattling of an anchor chain, and looking out I saw " Teddy Bear " lyino- 

 right outside on the smooth sea. Half an hour later I was aboard with all 

 my stuff and bound for Cape Wankarem (about 70 miles northwest of my 

 present camp) where we arrived July 27th. I spent two days at this place 

 where I, amongst other things, secured a few males of the Spoonbill Sand- 

 piper; the young of this species was then evidently half-fledged, and I once 

 got one of these on the wing, flying about fifty yards. But the same thick 

 fog prevented me also this time from getting a young bird. At the nest, 

 or rather, when with young, the Spoonbill Sandpiper acts exactly like the 

 Semi-pahnaied Sandpiper and other small waders, being very bold and tryino- in 

 all ways to mislead the enemy. It also understands very well the old art to 

 act like wounded in a conspicuous way. Its song when flying is the same 

 "thrill," familiar to other small Sandpipers. The call to the young however, 

 is a faint "plee-plee-plee — plee-plee-plee" repeated with pauses of about five 

 seconds. 



Skinning of Walrus on the Ice, August 3, 1909 



