252 Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society. 



and as white as snow, while Lars' eggs are cream-coloured, 

 with small brown spots all over, and not so big. Lars did 

 not see me take the nest, and I did not tell him till we got 

 home, when he w^as rather put out." 



So much for the first nest obtained by Lysne himself. 



The nest above referred to as taken by Lars contained, as 

 we have seen, four eggs. These are much smaller, more oval, 

 and apparently stained or speckled with a pinky or purplish 

 dye, caused, I believe, by the damp reindeer moss or other 

 lichen on which they were laid. As Lysne describes them, 

 they are " cream-coloured (or dirty white, J. A. H. B.), with 

 small brow^n spots all over, and not so big." 



The spotting is not however caused by true marking, but is 

 simply caused by dirt getting apparently into the grain, or 

 irregularities of the texture of the egg. 



In all, Lysne procured five nests of eggs in 1872. The 

 situations of these nests were as follows ; 



1. S. nyctea.—l eggs, 17.6.72, 0. J. L. ipse. "Nest on a low hill" 

 (v. collector's "Note-book"). 



2. S. nyctea.—i eggs, 1.6.72, by L. E. ''Nest merely a hollow in ground 

 on top of low hill " {op. cit.). 



3. S. nyctea.—5 eggs, 9.7.72, 0. J. L. ipse. "The nest was placed on the 

 top of a low rock, and merely a hollow in the reindeer moss. " 



4. S. nyctea.—i eggs, 13.7.72, 0. J. L. ipse. "The nest was placed at the 

 side of a hill on a rock." 



5. S. nyctea.—i eggs, 23.7.72, 0. J. L. ipse. "Nest on a hill." 



Of the third nest Lysne says : " Eggs hard set. Both birds 

 seen, but they were very wild. Colour of the eggs not so 

 pure a white as those of 17th June. At the time the 

 eggs were taken out of the nest they were the dirtiest eggs 

 ever seen." Of the fourth nest he relates : " Had a shot at 

 the hen and wounded her. Eggs hard set." And of the fifth 

 nest he writes : " By aid of Lars, who had seen the eggs and 

 nest before, but would not take them before I was present, as 

 the eggs differ a great deal from any egg of the kind w^e have 

 seen ! Nest on a hill near the Sule-vand. Both birds flying 

 about very wildly." These are also dirty and smaller than 

 the fresh set of the 17th June, but are undoubtedly of this 

 species. 



