366 A SPEING AND SUMMER IN LAPLAND. 



most restless, for they are never still, but con- 

 tinually chasing eacli other about, uttering a pleas- 

 ing note, which Mlsson likens to the tone of a 

 clarionet- — " a agleck, a agleck." The only nest 

 which I obtained of this bird was on the same fell 

 meadow where the Lap buntings bred. I was 

 walking down a narrow trackway by the side of a 

 fell lake, and I nearly trod upon the old female, 

 which was sitting on her nest, right in my very 

 path. Although her head was turned towards 

 me, she never attempted to rise, and I caught her 

 on the nest. This was on the night of June 27. 

 The nest contained seven fresh eggs, in colour 

 resembling those of the pintail, but a little smaller. 

 On the next morning, I saw two young broods of 

 this duck on the water, apparently a few days 

 old. During the breeding season the old males 

 appear to leave the females, and congregate in 

 small flocks ; and even in the end of June we 

 used to see occasionally six to eight males on the 

 river down at Quickiock. 



The goosander (Mergus Merganser, Lin. ; " stor 

 skrake," Sw. ; " gussagoalse," Lap.) was not nearly 

 so common as the merganser ; and I used to ob- 

 serve that they much frequented the streams at the 

 bottom of the waterfalls. The only two nests I 

 obtained of the goosander were both on the bare 

 ground. The egg may be distinguished from that 



