448 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



energy, in the willow swamps and among the willow scrub along 

 the shores. Not seen on Grindo. Prof. Collett writes, " With 

 us it inhabits almost exclusively the regions north of the Arctic 

 Circle" ("Bird Life in Arctic Norway'). 



Parus borealis. — Not uncommon in the birch woods, and seen 

 on Grindo. It is a large fluffy bird, evidently well clothed ; the 

 back is of a very pale grey, the under parts are nearly white, and 

 the large black cap extends on to the mantle. I found a nest on 

 the 14th in a hole (apparently originally the work of a Wood- 

 pecker) in a rather rotten birch-stump, about four feet from the 

 ground. The nest was slight, and consisted of little more than 

 lining, formed of a little thin birch bark, less moss, some Lemming 

 fur, and a good lot of white Willow Grouse feathers. It contained 

 ten hard-set eggs, decidedly bigger than those of P. palustris. 

 The birds were very tame. I had to break away part of the 

 rotten bark to get at the nest, and wished to repair the damage ; 

 but the pieces would not remain when I replaced them, so I was 

 driven to the clumsy expedient of tying a flexible birch-bough 

 round the stump and fitting the pieces of bark in behind it. 

 I made such a bad job of it that I was more than doubtful about 

 the birds taking to the nest again. However, as I stood within 

 two or three yards of the stump watching these beautifnl Tits 

 flitting about close to me, one came nearer and actually perched 

 on the projecting end of my birch-bough; in a few seconds it 

 hopped to the entrance of the hole, and after peering in for a few 

 more it went in, and, to my relief, stayed there. 



Motacilla alba. — We did not see many on Tromso, and there 

 were none on Grindo; a pair were carrying food on the 13th. 



Budytes borealis (Sundevall). — This northern Yellow Wagtail 

 was present on Tromso when we arrived on the 13th, and was not 

 uncommon among the willows and birches along the shores, and 

 about the small clearings and meadows. It was, I think, even 

 more common on Grindo. I found a nest there on the 17th, placed 

 in a clump of Empetrum nigrum, and close to the nest of an Eider 

 Duck. It was formed of fine grass, well lined with white cow-hair, 

 and contained six nearly fresh eggs. This bird perches freely on 

 birches and willows. It sings a bright wagtail-like strain ; the 

 call-note is a " wich-ee," like that of B. rayi, but perhaps stronger, 

 which is very likely to be the case, as the bird is more robust than 

 our common species. The crown and nape of this species is dark 



