My best Bird-view last year.



79



red in the northern light, and behind these, blue-black mountains

streaked with gold in the long gullies and behind the snowy peaks.


The region of grey lava was frequented by Ptarmigan. Only

those who have tried to see cock Ptarmigan on grey lava can realise

how perfectly their plumage hides them—the white and grey

feathers harmonizing completely with the light and shade on the

rocks. At intervals between the rocks were patches covered with

dwarf scrub frequented by Whimbrel, Golden Plover and

Dunlins.


The lake itself and a region about the margin having been

declared a protected area the result was that in July there were

hundreds of acres of water dotted over with ducks of seemingly

endless variety. The repeated cries of the male Long Tails practi¬

cally drowned all other sounds at times, though occasionally Divers

and Wild Geese passing over could be heard. The Arctic Tern more¬

over were not distinguished for reticence.


Amongst the duck on the lake I was interested to see several

broods of Sclavonian Grebe — the birds being fairly tame and

permitting a good view.


The Great Northern Diver nests freely not far from here and

earlier in the season I got over eight fresh eggs and presented them

to the Zoo, in the hopes that they would hatch and make a pleasing

addition to the Penguin’s enclosure, but alas ! no good result was

obtained in spite of every care. Probably the eggs were too much

shaken in transit to England as the journey is necessarily rough and

lengthy.


I was told that in a place a very long day’s journey distant

from the lake and near the edge of the desert (where men seldom go

in the spring) Wild Geese had for the past two seasons been found

nesting and that an expedition to the spot last spring resulted in

bringing back 200 of their eggs—the number being only limited by

the carrying capacity of the ponies. It seemed a shame to take all

these eggs until one learned they were for necessary human food.


At one end of the lake is an enormous marsh where fire and

water seem to meet, that is where the lava is half submerged and

there are endless little pools of water (from 10 feet in diameter

upwards) surrounded by rushes and rough grass. Here was the



