156 AFTER GREY PLOVERS AT WASILKOVA 



nearer the water's edge, were several golden plovers : we 

 shot one, and noticed a pair of grey plovers amongst 

 them. The two species were quite easy to distinguish 

 even at some distance without the help of a glass. On a 

 piece of low tundra near the Petchora we came upon a 

 large flock of Buffon's skuas. My companion stopped to 

 watch the grey plovers, and I marched after the skuas. 

 We had usually seen these birds hawking like terns over 

 the tundra, in parties of seven or eight, and now and then 

 we had met a pair alone on the ground. They were 

 always wild and difficult to approach, and hitherto we 

 had succeeded in shooting a few only. As I neared the 

 spot where the large flock was assembled I watched them 

 alighting on the banks near the great river. I walked 

 towards them, and soon caught sight of a score of herring- 

 galls on the shore to the right. Before I had got within 

 a hundred yards of the latter they all rose and flew 

 towards me, the skuas also rose and followed them. I 

 let the gulls go by and aimed at the nearest skua as soon 

 as it came within range. Fortunately I brought it down, 

 for in a moment I was surrounded by about 100 or 

 1 50 skuas, flying about in all directions, generally about 

 ten of them within shot. They were very noisy, uttering 

 a cry like "hack, hack" as they darted towards me, or 

 screaming wildly as they flew about. This lasted about 

 twenty minutes, during which I finished what remaining 

 cartridges I had, some of which were dust. I missed 

 several birds, but left seven killed and wounded on the 

 field. My companion now joined me ; he brought down 

 four more and a Richardson's skua ; the birds then all 

 retired except one that ke^t flying from one to the other 

 of us, every now and then making a downward swoop, 

 like a tern, over our heads. We soon discovered the 

 cause of its anxiety ; a young skua in down, a day or two 



