ing the yard after a rain. Once I caught a glimpse of a golden plover 

 making free of the area inside the fence, but it hastily departed. 



As the end of August approached the sprightly forms which had 

 enlivened the surroundings one by one departed, so imperceptibly 

 that scarcely was one missed before we found that of all the goodly 

 company only a few stragglers remained. At this time we usually 

 had a visit from one or two downy woodpeckers, which clung pen- 

 sively to the rough logs in the sides of the buildings, apparently 

 dazed to find the tree-trunks all extending horizontally. After a short 

 stay they would leave us, headed straight back for the interior, where 

 the trees were in their proper position. 



During September we were visited by various birds of prey. 

 Every autumn brought one or two hawk owls to perch on the wind- 

 vane or the flagstaff; while young goshawks and gyrfalcons circled 

 about, frequently alighting for a short time upon the fence or any con- 

 venient post. More rarely a pigeon hawk appeared for a moment and 

 then vanished. Several times during the evening at this season I 

 surprised a short-eared owl perched on the fence or hovering over 

 the yard, probably attracted by the tundra-mice which gathered about 

 the buildings at this time. One October a great horned owl used our 

 wood-pile as a lookout station for several successive evenings. 



As winter set in occasional parties of black-capped titmice ap- 

 peared for a day or two, and less often a few Hudsonian titmice. Both 

 spent their time busily climbing about the walls of the old log-houses, 

 or examining the weed-patches nearby, all the time cheerily uttering 

 their familiar dee-dee-dee; but at last hurrying away as if without a 

 moment to spare. Then followed long blanks broken only by a stray 

 party of redpolls from the interior, or, as happened a few times, by 

 the visit of a ptarmigan, which would perch on the roof of the ware- 

 house, look with startled surprise at the men and dogs below, and then 

 precipitately depart. 



Thus the bird-year went round at this barren place by the shore 

 of Bering Sea, and gave evidence that in the remotest spots some of 

 these companionable and interesting habitants are always to be found, 

 ready to enliven the solitude for whomsoever has eyes to see and 

 sympathy to appreciate them. 



Spring and Summer on the Tundras 



When the snow leaves the marshy tundras — those extensive 

 frozen barrens fringing the Alaskan coast of Bering Sea — they be- 

 come alive with a winged host wonderful in its numbers and variety. 



37 



