BIRDS MET WITH IN EAST FINMABK. 273 



but the wings and feet were left intact, and the latter we were able to 

 preserve as trophies. It had probably been there since the previous 

 autumn, and possibly had died of old age ; for, judging by the feathers 

 we gathered, it must have been almost spotlessly white. 



Lessee White-fronted Goose (Anser erythropus). — -There were two 

 pairs of these Geese nesting somewhere near the river, and the two 

 ganders were seen in the river for three days in succession. Both 

 banks were searched diligently by all of our party at different times, and 

 for a considerable distance above and below where they were seen, but 

 without result; however, on July 3rd, we found the two broods of young, 

 with all the old birds, feeding in the river under the bank. The young 

 had been hatched only a very short time, and were easily caught. The 

 old birds were very bold, and flew by our canoe several times, within 

 twenty yards, when it was quite easy to make out their small size, 

 darkly barred under parts, with the white frontal blaze, and their 

 bright orange-yellow legs. There seemed about six young in each 

 brood. One of these young ones was kept by one of the Finns, and 

 reared by hand on bits of grass ; it became quite tame, and throve well. 

 One or two pairs of these Geese were seen by the side of the mountain 

 tarns, but always flew away together when we approached, nor could 

 we find any signs of other nests or young. Some of them were begin- 

 ning to drop their primaries, a fact which was well known to the 

 Finns, who remarked that they would now very soon be incapable of 

 flight. 



Bed-breasted Merganser (Mergns serrator). — This was the only 

 Duck of which we saw more than one pair in the valley. As we poled 

 up the river we put up several pairs or single birds. At one place a 

 bird rose out of a patch of thick willow scrub on a point of land, and 

 on going to the spot we found the nest, which contained nine eggs in 

 an advanced stage of incubation. After blowing them we handed over 

 the remains to the Finns, who boiled them, and ate the bits on bread 

 with great gusto ! 



Long-tailed Duck (Harelda glacialis). — On walking up to a small 

 tarn on July 1st a pair of Long-tailed Ducks flew up and settled on the 

 water. We immediately hid ourselves and watched, but they only fed, 

 and then went to sleep, taking not the slightest notice of us. The hen 

 had probably been brought off to feed by the drake from the nest some 

 distance away, as a prolonged search round the tarn failed to reveal 

 any trace of a nest. We did not see the birds on revisiting the place 

 some days later, and these were the only Long-tails we saw. 



Common Scoter (CEdemia nigra). — A pair of these Ducks were flying 



Zool. 4th ser. vol. VI., July, 1902. Y 



