88 BIRDS OF RUSSIAN LAPLAND 



us, but through the glasses a nervous look could be seen in her eye, 

 showing she felt things were going wrong with those eggs. The nest 

 was placed under a few pieces of birch, left by some Finn when 

 cutting firewood. Less than half a mile beyond we had the pleasure 

 of catching a Golden Plover asleep, or perhaps to be more accurate, 

 without the second bird in attendance to give warning of danger. We 

 were only thirty yards off when it rose from the nest of four eggs. 

 Golden Plovers are most aggravating birds; when they are at all 

 numerous they certainly assist each other in misleading you as to the 

 position of the nest, and appear to take up the duty in relays. While 

 crossing the last hill above the river, a Shore-Lark rose from four eggs 

 slightly incubated, the nest being on a piece of level ground with the 

 usual tuft of grass beside it. 



On reaching the river at 8.30 a.m., we were glad to see the Ex'pres 

 had returned to her anchorage. She had been detained at Vardo by 

 bad weather. Hansen reported the fishing there had also been bad, a 

 line carrying one thousand six hundred hooks having caught two cod ! 



June I Wi. — We struck camp after breakfast, and leaving the men 

 to get the things on board, went up to a lake described on the 2nd 

 instant. Although there are twenty to thirty lakes in the district, 

 this is the only one containing an island, a fact we much regretted, 

 as islands where no boat is available, generally afford breeding-ground 

 for a variety of birds. Kjeldsen preferred wading out to helping in 

 carrying the india-rubber boat up the hill, at least until he found out 

 how cold the water was, and how bad the large stones were to walk 

 on with bare feet ! However, he got back safely with eggs of Black- 

 throated Divers' (two fresh). Long-tailed Duck (seven slightly in- 

 cubated, six fresh), Common Gull (three slightly incubated), and Arctic 

 Tern (one fresh). While I was blowing the eggs a third Diver joined 

 the pair and swam about with them for some time (see June 2nd). 



June igth. — We moved down to the islands in the morning, in- 

 tending to start for the Kanin peninsula ; but the wind was from the 

 wrong quarter, so there was nothing for it but to anchor and await a 



