268 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



built in the ground, of coarse flat grass-stems, and well concealed 

 among grass some ten inches high ; it contained six eggs about a week 

 incubated on July 3rd. The second was built in the roots of a scrub 

 willow, about 4 ft. high in a very wet swamp, and contained five young 

 about a week old, and a single addled egg of a pale blue colour without 

 any markings. The third nest we found by beating the side of a deep 

 pit, over which we had heard the cock persistently singing ; the hen 

 flew out from a hole in the side of the pit, in which was the nest well 

 concealed by hanging grasses ; it was somewhat larger than the other 

 two, and was made of fine grass, with a little moss outside, and in 

 every way, except the lining, resembled a Eobin's nest at home ; it 

 contained (July 9th) five eggs about a week incubated. 



Willow- Wren (Phylloscopus trochilus). — Quite the commonest bird 

 in the whole valley — in fact, the only bird that was really common. 

 The cocks were heard singing from the tops of the birches both by day 

 and night. We were always on the look-out for a new note, having 

 constantly in mind that we might discover the Arctic Willow- Wren, 

 but never once did we hear a note different from that of the common 

 species ; and, though we took the trouble to shoot the birds from nests 

 we got, they proved to be the common Willow-Wren only. It was 

 astonishing how difficult these little birds were to see in the leafy tops 

 of the birches, and, though they might be singing all round one, it was 

 only by standing quite still and trying to locate the song that it was 

 possible to see the birds at all. Our first nest was placed under a rock, 

 and consequently had no dome to it, the rock above furnishing all 

 necessary cover. The others were all situated in the ground, as our 

 Willow-Wrens at home build, and were warmly lined with Willow- 

 Grouse feathers. The eggs or young were invariably six in number, 

 and the former were thickly speckled all over with small reddish spots, 

 being quite different to any I had previously taken. The latest clutch 

 on July 10th were almost hatching, while young a day or two old were 

 found on the same day. We found later that P. borealis has occurred 

 in this neighbourhood, as there is a bird (a young one just able to fly) 

 in the Tromso Museum, though whether it was obtained in the valley 

 or on the Tana, at the mouth of the Maskejok, the label does not 

 state. 



White Wagtail (Motacilla alba). — At the mouth of the river this 

 Wagtail was fairly common about the farm- buildings and hay-fields, 

 but up the valley only a few scattered pairs were seen. A nest was 

 found on June 26th containing six very incubated eggs. It was situated 

 behind a loose board inside a ruined turf-hut in thick wood some thirty 

 yards from the river's bank. A second nest, on July 2nd, had five nearly 



