no 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. IO--N0. 7 



externally of an extremely light network of tlihi 

 Birch twigs firmly interlaced into each oilier. 

 Tills substructure is overlaid by a lining of tine 

 stiff grass, distinctly visible through the network 

 of sticks from below. On pulling the lining to 

 pieces an odd horsehair could be detected. The 

 nest was placed in a small Birch tree, about six 

 feet from the ground, and very open. I was 

 rather surprised to find the Pine Grosbeak breed- 

 ing here, as I thought it was confined to the Pine 

 districts. But I found several pairs of this bird 

 breeding around Pulmak, where is not a sign of 

 anything save stunted Birch and Willow, and 

 from their crojis I took birch-catkins. We had 

 considerable ditliculty iu effecting a landing at 

 Pulmak, as, owing to a bend in the river, the 

 ice had become congesteil and [liled up in great 

 heaps, at least ten feet high, along the shore. 



June liith. Pulmak, which is situate a little 

 north of the 70lh degree of latitude, consists of 

 some half dozen Lap settlements and one fairly 

 comfortable inn. It is situated iu a bend of the 

 Tana, which is here perhaps 400 yards wide. 

 Around are low fells, selilom rising to any great 

 height, thickly carpeted with reindeer moss and 

 clad with Birch forest up to a certain level; in 

 many cases the hills are so low that the Birch 

 reaches and crowns their summits. Close to the 

 door of our dwelling a pair of Wigeou (Maircn 

 peiiiiopc) rose this morning and I secured the 

 drake, still in full Winter plumage. Further on 

 a pair of Uougli-legged Buzzards had a nest, and 

 were "wailing" from the crag. The nest, placed, 

 as usual, oji a ledge, and lined with dry grass, 

 contained one egg completely congealed, and 

 much of the color W!ished out. 1 had to warm it 

 in water before it wouUl blow, although other- 

 wise it was quite fresh. I got to-day the first 

 Brambling's nest, a beautiful structure, with one 

 very small egg. A Fieldfare's nest had six eggs, 

 and two Titlark's nests had six and four eggs, 

 fresh. Cuckoos seemed pretty numerous. 1 shot 

 some Golden Plovers to eat, and was struck with 

 Iheir splendid adult plumage, such as can seldom 

 lie obtained at any season of the year in Nor- 

 thumberland. I observe also that the male 

 Bramblings obtained, in breeiling dress, on the 

 Dovre Fjeld in Norway, are not nearly so typical- 

 ly adult as tho.se wliich we obtained iu East Fin- 

 mark. 



To-day a I.,ap boy brought lue a lovely ne.-it 

 with seven eggs, badly incubated, of the Great 

 Grey Shrike (Litiiim major?); and here I may 

 observe that, although I afterwards obtained two 

 more nests and eggs of tnis species, I was never 

 fortunate enough to get the bird. In all cases 

 the nests were foimd by the Laps and brought to 



me; and although I invariably returned to the 

 nesting place immediately with the Laii, I only 

 once caught a glimpse ol the bird, and tlieu I did 

 not manage to secure her. This nest was placed 

 in a Birch tree, about ten feet from the ground, 

 and was made of white grass, ])rofusely lined 

 with the white feathers of the Willow Grouse, 

 with a few binding twigs of birch. 



.June 14th. A White Wagtail (MuhiHlla alba) 

 had its nest under the turf of the roof of our 

 dwelling, and contained six fresh eggs; the nest 

 was lined with greyish-white reindeer hair. Two 

 nests of the Redwing contained five and six eggs ; 

 one of them was on the ground in a bank, entire- 

 ly concealed by an overhanging juniper bush, 

 and the eggs were much incubated. Although 

 the fell lakes were still completely frozen, Arctic 

 Terns (Sterna macrura) were hovering over some 

 of them, and on two small islands which we 

 reached by walking across the ice we found two 

 nests, each with two eggs. A singular instance 

 of protective coloration occurred here : two of 

 these eggs were of the most extraordinary color, 

 resembling very rich Merlin's eggs, the other two 

 were of the ordinary green t.vpe. The ruddy 

 ones were laid on a rich red carpet of moss, the 

 green ones on green reindeer moss. The yolk 

 and albumen of these eggs was ([uile congealed 

 with the cold. On the edge of one of these 

 frozen lakes a Redshank's nest contained two 

 eggs. Coming home we found a Mealj' Redpole's 

 nest with five eggs, profusvly lined with feathei'S 

 of ''ryper," a bird which, by the way, we had not 

 seen or heard since our arrival at Pulmak. 



June 15th. Winter seemed to return, for it 

 snowed continuously all day. In a walk along 

 the bank of the Pulmakelf, a tributary of the 

 Tana, we observed a single male Goosander busy 

 fishing, also a pair of Red-necked Phalaropes 

 {P/ialarupus ?ti/perbunuK), very tame, and actively 

 feeding in a quiet backwash of the river. They 

 swim very high in the water, with 1 jerky mo- 

 lion, nodding their heads like a Waterhen. and 

 are surprisingly quick and agile in their move- 

 ments. One of them landed and sat, like a tiny 

 Duck, preening his feathers on the bank. They 

 seemed in mature plumage, the yellow stripes 

 down the sides of the back being very ccraspicu- 

 ous. A pair of Wood Sandpipers were very 

 tame, and allowed us to come very close to them 

 as they were feeding, wading breast high, in a 

 liltle pool of melted snow water. 

 (To be continued.) 



Have just taken a fine American Crossbill 

 (Loxia curvirontra americaiia,) from a flock of six 

 iir seven. Pretty late in the season for this bird. 

 —C. II. wader, Watjluiul, N. 1'., June ti, 1885. 



