7840 



Birds. 



for this purpose devoted to the search much of his time before 

 crossing the district hitherto unexplored by him between the Muonio 

 valley and the head-waters of the Tana. In this object he was only 

 partially successful. He writes, " For myself I could not, in spite of 

 every exertion, get a living waxwing within range of my pair of eyes. 

 I took a nest which had been deserted a day or two before, and from 

 which something had thrown the eggs, one after another, upon the 

 ground as fast as they were laid ; of course, broken to bits. It was 

 close to the house of Sardio. In vain I wandered through the woods, 

 and scarcely shut my eyes at night. Many people were on the look- 

 out; but, after the nest of three eggs I told you of from Jerisjarvi, the 

 only arrival has been a perfect nest of live eggs found by Piko Heiki, 

 whom I desired to give up everything else, and work all the mountain- 

 district for waxwing." The nest thus taken by Mr. Wolley, and 

 which I intend to retain in my possession, as being the only one taken 

 by him, bears date " 10th June, 1857." It was built in a spruce, and 

 agrees in most respects with those previously seen and described by 

 him. The eight eggs just mentioned were the only ones obtained by 

 him that year." 



The summer of 1858, when Mr. Wolley was with me in Iceland, 

 was " a great year for waxwings." Not far from a hundred and fifty 

 nests were found by persons in his employment in Lapland, and some 

 of them close to Muoniovara. It seems, as nearly as I have been able 

 to ascertain, that no less than six hundred and sixty-six eggs were 

 collected ; and more than twenty more were obtained by Herr Keitel 

 of Berlin, who happened, without I believe any expectation of the 

 luck that was in store for him, to be that year on the Muonio River. 

 A detailed account of Herr Keitel's success appeared some months 

 after in the 6 Naumannia,' * from the pen of its editor, and the speci- 

 mens of the eggs figured in that magazine were obtained through him. 

 It is unnecessary for me to go into details respecting the magnificent 

 series of eggs which Mr. Wolley was thus enabled to add to his 

 cabinet. The nests were built mostly in spruce and Scotch-fir trees 

 [Pinus abies and P. sylvestris) — chiefly, I think, the former. The 

 usual complement of eggs is certainly five ; but six not uncommonly, 

 and seven and four occasionally, were found. The second week of 

 June seems to be the general lime for the birds to have eggs ; but 



* 'Naumannia,' 1858, p. 498, pi. 1, figs. 5—8. 



