BIRDS OF RUSSIAN LAPLAND i6i 



piper," but does not give his authority. Now I have seen flocks of 

 many hundreds of Dunlins at Eyrarbakki on the south coast early in 

 July ; and doubt whether the whole of Iceland contained as many 

 Purple Sandpipers as I saw Dunlins that day ; they were only the 

 advanced guard preparing for migration to the south. 



We were returning home fairly tired, for some hours had been 

 spent tramping through bogs up to our knees in hopes of finding a 

 late Wood-Sandpiper's nest in the tussocks of coarse grass, when the 

 sight of a male Spotted Redshank which evidently had young, put 

 new life into us. He fell on the opposite side of the marsh apparently 

 dead, but turned out to be a " runner." Fortunately, there was still 

 ice fifteen inches below the surface, so we got across the marsh safely. 

 The young were there, but what a hunt the little rascals gave us, for 

 they were older than those we had previously found, and pin-feathers 

 were showing in their wings. It was only after two hours' hard work 

 that we secured three of them, which have gone to the British 

 Museum, the first specimens of young Spotted Redshanks received 

 there. Three young Ruffs — unfortunately for themselves — were 

 mixed up with the Redshanks, and came away with them. Their 

 mother was in close attendance ; her only note being a grunt. 



As we walked down the side of the smaller lake nearest the 

 station, a Black-throated Diver suddenly rushed off the bank close 

 to us. When thirty yards off it turned round and shook its wings at 

 us. This species will sometimes come almost up to the land, as if 

 about to attack the intruder, when it has incubated eggs. It was 

 on the opposite side of this lake that Musters took two eggs on the 

 I 5 th, but we could not say whether they were the same birds. 



Jitne 2gth. — Our diaries and other work were so much behind, 

 it was 5 p.m. when we set out to visit some islands at our end of 

 Lake Kolozero. As we walked up the path to the lake, a Goldeneye 

 flew over and appeared to have an interest in some of the trees near ; 

 a short search showed which it was — a dead tree only seventy yards 

 off, with two small holes in its side and its stem covered with down. 



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