NOTES FROM AN ARCTIC JOURNAL. 1038 
pinions, they frequently descended to the ground. During this 
descent the wings were beaten over the back with such rapid 
motion that a loud whirring noise was produced, which might 
be heard at some distance. According to my observations, this 
action was confined to the males and to the period of courtship. 
Two magnificent Snowy Owls, evidently breeding, haunted a 
valley some two miles from the tent; they were very wary birds, 
never alighting where it was possible to approach them under 
cover. On one occasion, after disturbing these Owls, they flew 
over a spot where a Brent Goose was sitting. The goose 
rose from her nest and made directly at the Owl, following it, 
and driving it off for some distance. This action on the part of 
the Goose disclosed her nest, which we found to be a comfortable 
structure of down, placed on a base of Saxifrage stems, grass, 
and moss, and containing four eggs. The gander was close by, 
and ran hissing at me when I interfered with the nest. I felt 
very sorry to kill these poor birds, but I had scurvy-stricken 
men on board ship, whose recovery depended upon a supply of 
fresh meat. On the 22nd I noticed a pair of Turnstones feeding ; 
from their actions I felt confident that they had a nest not far off, 
but, after watching them for more than an hour, the cold wind 
forced me to move on. I was greatly interested by seeing these 
birds actually turn over and reverse pieces of slate, three inches 
in diameter, and pick up the spiders and Acaridea that were to 
be found underneath them. The bird put its bill fairly under 
the centre of the slate, and then pitched it over with a good toss 
of the head. I saw it perform this action within twenty paces of 
where I was lying, and ran forward and picked up the piece of 
slate, the damp under-surface being exposed as it lay on the dry 
shingle. This relic I brought home with me, and still retain. 
On the 23rd we found a nest of Buffon’s Skua, Stercorarius 
parasiticus ; the two eggs were laid ina depression on a gravel 
flat; they were of a delicate green ground colour, and, except in 
being somewhat smaller, hardly differ from those of Richardson’s 
Skua, S. crepidatus. The old birds were very bold, and tried to 
drive us from the vicinity of the nest by darting at our heads. 
All through the 24th it blew a strong warm gale from the 
8.8.W., which worked a rapid change both on the floe and on 
the shore ; the former was now covered with pools of water, and 
down the land-slopes rivulets were pouring in every direction. 
