BIRDS OF RUSSIAN LAPLAND 125 



the sides as the ledge was not continuous ; so we were obhged re- 

 luctantly to give it up and return to the boat. There were two birds 

 to-day at the Buzzard's nest, showing that the male had not been long 

 in procuring another mate. 



On returning to Kola, we heard that two Finns had come down 

 the Tuloma to-day from Finland ; they reported that there was only a 

 narrow channel of water yet, most of the river being still covered with 

 heavy ice. 



May 2^th. — As our chief anxiety now was to get up country, we 

 walked to the point again this morning where the Kola river is navig- 

 able, and were pleased to find that all the ice we had seen on the 

 22 nd had disappeared. We heard later in the day that the whole 

 route to Pulozero was believed to be clear from ice except part of one 

 lake. The river was rising rapidly, and next day the flood was so 

 strong we found it impossible to row over to the east bank. We 

 therefore crossed the Tuloma and spent some hours in exploring the 

 hills on its west bank, but with very slight result. There were a 

 number of Red-spotted Blue-throats near the river which seemed new 

 arrivals. The only fresh birds seen to-day were two Swallows Hirundo 

 rustica, and a solitary Red- throated Pipit sitting on a garden fence. 

 The latter was the only one of its species we saw in the country, and 

 Mr. Witherby only met with it near Ekaterina, yet I had found it 

 breeding at all the places near the coast I had visited ; from which it 

 appears that this bird does not penetrate so far inland as its relative 

 the Meadow-Pipit. The first Redwing's nest was found to-day with 

 two eggs. 



On the 26th we succeeded in crossing the Kola by selecting a time 

 when the tide was high, and went up to a lake Mr. Skjcerseth had told 

 us of. It was the best place for birds we had seen near Kola. Our 

 troubles began to-day with the Greenshanks, and continued for many 

 a day, till I almost hated their name. They and the Spotted Red- 

 shank appear to have brought the " art of nest protection " to per- 

 fection; the male does not stop around and give the site away, as 



