i82 SIBERIA IN EUROPE. chap. xv. 



to the next, until she fiaally came within fifty yards of 

 where I was lying. I had just made up my mind to risk a 

 shot when she must have caught sight of me, and flew right 

 away. In a quarter of an hour I caught sight of her again, 

 approaching by short stages as before, but from an opposite 

 direction. I must have been in full sight of her. When 

 she had approached within fifty yards of me, as near as I 

 could guess, I fired at her with No. 4 shot and missed. I 

 remained reclining v\here I was, ^\ith little hope that she 

 would try a third time to approach the nest, and whiled 

 away the time with watching a Buffon's skua through my 

 glass as it cautiously approached in my direction. Turning 

 my head round suddenly I caught sight of the grey plover 

 running towards the nest within fifty yards of me. I lifted 

 my gun and fired again, but was so nervous that I missed her 

 a second time. I was so vexed that I got up and walked 

 towards the skua, which still remained in statu quo. I 

 missed a shot at it too, spent some time in a vain search for 

 its nest, and returned to my old quarters. In ten minutes I 

 saw the grey plover flying up. It took a wheel in my 

 direction, coming almost within shot, and evidently took 

 stock of me, and satisfied itself that I was a harmless animal 

 practising with blank cartridge, and having no evil design 

 upon its eggs. It alighted about fifty yards beyond the nest, 

 and approached less timidly than before. When it came within 

 fifty yards of me I fired, this time with No. 6 shot, and laid 

 the poor bird upon its back. As we returned to our boat 

 Harvie-Brown found a fourth nest, and, after watching as 

 before, secured the bird. We accidentally broke two of the 



