Birds. 



7841 



there are some which must have been laid in the last days of May, 

 and others (perhaps second broods) a month later.* 



This same year (1858) saw an Englishman, however, accomplish 

 what Mr. Wolley only partially succeeded in doing. The interesting 

 account of an independent discovery of the breeding of the waxwing, 

 with which the kindness of Mr. H. E. Dresser has furnished me, will, 

 I am sure, be read with pleasure, and I leave that gentleman to 

 narrate his exploit in his own language : — 



"In 1858 I was a short time in Uleaborg, while on my way from 

 Stockholm via Tornea to St. Petersburg, and having a little time on 

 my hands I spent it in company with Mr. John Granberg, of Ulea- 

 borg, collecting in the neighbourhood of the town. We intended to 

 pass a day or two amongst the small islands near the harbour, and 

 determined to visit one called Sandon, about four Swedish (twenty- 

 seven English) miles from Uleaborg. 



" We (that is, Granberg, a student by name Heikel, and myself) left 

 the town on the evening of the 3rd of July, in a little boat, and sailed 

 to Warjakka, an island outside the harbour, where we provisioned for 

 our trip. We then started for Sandon; but, there being but little 

 wind, did not arrive off the island until about two o'clock in the 

 morning. We grounded at some distance outside, and all three 

 stripped for a swim, to find some deeper water; but, not being able 

 to get the boat much nearer, we made her fast and carried our traps 

 on shore, getting almost devoured by mosquitoes in so doing. We 

 had heard that there was a rough log-hut somewhere on the island, 

 built by the Karl 6 peasants, who come annually to take away the 

 marsh-grass, and accordingly set off in search of it. We were 

 crossing a small open place when we started a bird, which Granberg, 

 who was on first, said was a waxwing {Ampelis garfulus), and having 

 my gun loaded with dust-shot, I followed it up and succeeded in 

 shooting it. It proved to be an adult female, and had evidently been 

 incubating. We searched all the bushes and trees near, in hopes of 

 finding a nest, but without any success; and as the mosquitoes were 

 very troublesome, we determined to find the hut, take a nap, and con- 

 tinue the search afterwards. We soon did find it, and after smoking 

 out the mosquitoes and stopping up the smoke-hole, turned in on some 

 marsh-grass, and did not awake until pretty late in the day. After 



* The American species would seem sometimes to breed much later in the season. 

 Dr. Brewer told me at Boston, August 31st, 1857, that on the preceding day he had 

 seen a cedar-bird's nest, with eggs still unhalched. 



VOL. XX. D 



