290 A SPRING AND SUMMER IN LAPLAND. 



(Begulus cristatus, Ray; "kungs fogee," Sw.) up 

 here. This was a single example, which I shot 

 on May 8 ; and on the same day I saw one 

 specimen of the tree creeper (Gerthia familiaris, 

 Lin.; "trad krypare," Sw.). But, as I never 

 again met with either, I think we may conclude 

 that they are very rare here. I never either saw 

 or heard of the nuthatch (Sitta IlJuropea, Lin.) 

 in Lapland. 



The skylark (Alauda arvensis, Lin. ; " sang 

 larka," Sw.) was one of our earliest spring mi- 

 grants, for I saw a pair in the end of April. 

 They kept close to our house for a few' days, when 

 they disappeared, and I never saw any more, nor 

 did I hear of a nest being taken here. 



But the shore lark (A. alpestris, Lin. ; " berg 

 larka," Sw.; "ruoscha alap," Lap.) was the common 

 fell lark, and on this year they appear to have 

 been more common around Quickiock that usual. 

 On April 28 I shot the first, a single specimen, 

 close to the house ; and after that, small flocks 

 of them kept dropping in for about three weeks, 

 when they all left us and went up on to the fells to 

 breed. When in the lowlands they kept in small 

 flocks on the bare patches of cultivated land which 

 the snow had left by the river side ; and their 

 habits were exactly the same as those I watched 

 on the coast of Scania in the winter of 1849-1850. 



