NOTES FEOM DIAEY KEPT AT QUICKIOCK. 139 



ning of June, but for the rest of tlie month, tlie 

 weather was beautiful, and we were not kept 

 in-doors for one day by bad weather; and this 

 was lucky, for June is by far the most important 

 month to the Lap collector. Throughout the 

 whole month our occupation was the same, col- 

 lecting every day. As I had little time myself to 

 go and seek for nests, the plan I adopted was 

 this : whenever any of my boys found a nest in 

 the neighbourhood of Quickiock, they never took 

 it, but marked the place (and these peasant lads 

 never forget a place which they have once marked, 

 even in the deepest forests). Two days in every 

 week I used to go round and take the nests myself, 

 and, if it was necessary, shot the old bird. By 

 this plan I was certain not to be deceived ; and as 

 I much wanted type specimens well authenticated 

 for my own collection, it was worth a little trouble 

 to obtain them. Towards the middle and end of 

 the month I had two or three most interesting 

 trips up on to the fells, where we camped out each 

 time for two or three nights, in search of the eggs 

 of Buffon's skua, which birds literally swarmed on 

 our fells this summer — a most unusual occurrence; 

 and I had the pleasure both of watching the habits 

 of this rare bird in a state of nature, and of obtain- 

 ing a good collection of both birds and eggs. I 

 was also now much engaged with the ptarmigan 



