8o BIRDS OF RUSSIAN LAPLAND 



In the afternoon Kjeldsen and I went ashore to endeavour to find 

 some Dotterel we had put up the night before, and which seemed 

 loath to leave the place; but to-day they had moved a mile to 

 another hill. These birds are far tamer when disturbed at night than 

 by day. I put a Redwing off a nest with five eggs placed on the 

 ground on top of a small ridge, and protected by a quantity of 

 creeping birch — a good dry position ; the bird was a female. The nest 

 was certainly an old one, as last year's lining was distinct and contained 

 a few little pieces of birch twigs and old leaves, over which was a 

 thin new lining of fine grass, while the lower part of the nest was 

 sodden and contained an earth worm. I have frequently noticed that 

 old nests are used a second time in the north, a proceeding which 

 enables the bird to commence laying directly after she arrives, and 

 thus economises time in this brief arctic summer. The number of 

 Mealy Redpolls, Willow- Wrens, and Blue-throats has considerably in- 

 creased since yesterday. 



After hunting up the Dotterel we struck across a new part of the 

 country to the east, and found two fair-sized lakes divided by a bank, 

 the water level being six feet higher in one than the other. On the 

 upper lake were ten Velvet Scoters, several of them pairing. Three 

 Buffon's Skuas were similarly engaged, the graceful rapid flight of 

 this species being shown to perfection as the two males fought in the 

 air. This season of the year produces much bad temper in the 

 feathered tribe. On the next lake three Long-tailed Ducks were 

 settling their domestic matters ; after a time the rejected one went 

 to another part of the lake, and relieved his feelings by harrying two 

 Common Gulls which were asleep on a small stone projecting above 

 the water ; he drove them from two stones in succession and obliged 

 them to leave that part. The stones were a hundred yards from 

 shore or island, so this was no case of disturbing a proposed breeding- 

 place. Three Redshanks were seen near the twin lakes, and we also 

 noted a male Lapland-Bunting. Much ice came down the stream in 

 the evening, probably from the lake, as the sides of the river are now 



