50 BIRDS OF RUSSIAN LAPLAND 



A Whimbrel and a Golden Plover wasted a good deal of our 

 time; we could make nothing out respecting their nests. The eggs 

 of a Red-throated Pipit, Meadow-Pipit, and White Wagtail were all 

 on the point of hatching. We saw an Osprey here to-day for the first 

 time ; it was fishing over the upper part of the lake. The eggs of this 

 bird were one of the chief desiderata of our visit. The weather was 

 splendid, with sun shining both day and night ; yet there was a sharp 

 hoar frost after midnight in the shade, and the fall in temperature 

 caused heavy mists to form over the lake and river. 



July gth. — Plate 20 is a picture of reindeer-moss, the principal 

 food of the animal which figures so largely in accounts of arctic travel ; 

 it was particularly luxuriant near our camp. The colour is a light 

 greenish sulphur-yellow. 



To-day Ivan took us to a lake lying to the s.E., where he thought 

 we might find the Osprey nesting, but we saw no trace of the bird 

 there. The lake was a large sheet of water about two miles long, and 

 somewhat of the same shape as that we had seen on the Triphona 

 river, June 29th. The land sloped up from it gently on three sides, 

 covered with birch and a few scattered pines, but there were broad 

 strips of marshy ground running down through the woods, which 

 gave the effect — often to be seen in our English parks — of having 

 been cleared to afford a view of the lake and hills beyond. Ivan 

 explained to-day the Finns do not like Ospreys, and do what they can 

 to drive them out of the country by cutting down the trees they select 

 to build in ; all because they eat a few fish ! As the only birds we 

 saw here were a Black-throated Diver, a Common Gull, and a few 

 Arctic Terns, we soon struck up to some hills. After passing the tree- 

 line we found a nest of the Meadow-Pipit with six eggs, and one of a 

 Rough- legged Buzzard on a steep hillside, but as the chick in the one 

 egg could be heard calling when we were twelve yards off, we left the 

 only child in its fond parent's care. A little farther on, an Eagle rose 

 from some rocks, whereupon two Buffon's Skuas and a Tern went for 

 him in a style that was indicative of some precious treasures close to. 



