Mr. H. Durnford on North-Frisian Ornithology. 403 
with knapsacks and boots slung over our backs, and trousers 
tucked up to our knees, and arrived safely at our destination 
after about an hour and a half’s hard walking. On leaving 
Nordstrand the island appears a mere speck, as nothing but 
the raised central portion can be seen; and I must say we felt 
relieved when we stepped from the soft yielding ooze on to 
firm ground again. The Geese here were very restless, never 
staying to feed long in one place, and were doubtless on their 
journey northward. When in a boat on the creek at Husum 
I shot a fine adult bird out of a small flock. 
Tadorna vulpanser. 
Common everywhere, both on the islands and mainland, 
breeding on the former in a semi-domesticated state. The 
natives make artificial burrows in the sand-hillocks, and cut 
a hole in the turf over the passage, covering it with a sod, so 
as to disclose the nest when eggs are required. Several 
females lay indiscriminately in the same nest. They are very 
tame, and suffer themselves to be taken by the hand while 
sitting. Each burrow has two openings, and is made circular 
in shape. There are sometimes as many as a dozen or fifteen 
nests in one hillock within the compass of eight or nine yards. 
The eggs are taken up to the 18th June, after which they 
allow the birds to incubate ; but they never rob a nest of all 
the eggs, leaving one or two to avoid driving away the birds. 
Each person in the village generally has a burrow; and they 
are scrupulously honest in not taking each other's eggs. The 
female always covers her eggs with down before leaving the 
nest. 
Anas boschas. 
Common on the islands and mainland. 
Anas crecca. 
The same remark applies to this species as to the preceding. 
SoMATERIA MOLLISSIMA. 
Very common on Sylt, especially at the north end, furnish¬ 
ing a large supply of eggs to the people. Pretty common on 
Amrum; not observed on the mainland. We often observed 
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