BIRDS OF RUSSIAN LAPLAND 159 



tails had a nest with young. Several sucked eggs of ducks showed 

 that the Raven had been before us. 



The second island held nothing ; but on the third Juno found a 

 Common Scoter's nest with seven eggs, and the men a Lesser Black- 

 backed Gull's with three, hatching. This island contained the only- 

 Diver's nest, a Black-throated, with one fresh egg ; the other egg, 

 recently sucked, lay on the opposite side of the island, and a similar 

 fate had befallen a number of ducks' eggs. 



We arrived at Pulozero at 3 a.m. All were asleep, but the door 

 was unfastened as usual, so we were able to return to our quarters and 

 cook a meal without disturbing the household. I sometimes wonder 

 whether the locked or the unlocked door, with all it signifies, is the 

 higher form of civilisation. 



June 2yth. — We had left the Spotted Flycatcher's nest till to-day 

 to get a complete clutch. There were now five eggs, and we saw the 

 bird well. Another Eversmann's Warbler was singing in the wood 

 near the house, and we occupied some time searching for the nest, a 

 forlorn hope, as they had probably recently come or we should have 

 heard them before. Soon after leaving the Warbler we surprised a 

 Wood-Sandpiper with its four young, in a small marsh. As these were 

 a day old apparently, they had not scattered more than ten yards, 

 and lay perfectly still in shallow water among the scant herbage. 

 Every little one was really fully exposed to view, yet it took us more 

 than half-an-hour to see them. The old bird was very much in 

 attendance all the time. When caught, I put the young in my coat 

 pocket, where they soon began to cry for their parent ; and that bird 

 not only followed me through the remainder of our short walk, but 

 also back to the station, nearly a mile away. He — for I feel sure 

 only the male would have done it — often settled on the young trees 

 within five feet of me, and expressed very clearly his views of my con- 

 duct. As we reached the first hut of the settlement he left, and I 

 watched him fly back to the neighbourhood of the marsh where we 

 had found the young. I hoped I had got rid of my accuser, but no ; 



