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WILD NORWAY. 
Purple Sandpiper — lays early—in May, Arctic 
region chiefly, but in Nordmore M. has found it nesting 
on high fjelds—four eggs, hard-sat, June 25th. 
Wood-Sandpiper—eggs found, ready for exclusion, 
early in June ; and three in nest (slightly incubated) on 
July 2nd (M.). 
Common Sandpiper—Surendal, June 12th. Departs 
as early as August 1st. 
Broad-billed Sandpiper—Dovre, mid-June. 
Oyster-Catcher, and other common species, require 
no remarks. 
Crane—Dovrefjeld, young hatching early June. 
Heron — common everywhere, nesting early in 
May. 
In web-footed birds, Norway is naturally rich, 
though the true wildfowl mostly resort thither solely 
for the purpose of nesting, and leave the country in 
early autumn soon after the young can fly. Hence 
there is no regular wild-fowling, though a few couples 
of ducks may here and there be shot on marshy fj eld or 
hill-tarn; and in August—September the greylags, 
wigeon, and other true wildfowl afford a certain 
amount of sport as they assemble amidst the islands 
and holms of the Skjgergaard, preparatory to taking their 
departure for southern latitudes. 
The two chief species of breeding ducks are the 
Pintail and Wigeon, which commence nesting as soon 
as the fj eld-lakes are clear of ice—for this reason, 
irregularly and rather late. In Denmark, we found 
Pintails laying in April, but in Norway mid-May is 
quite the earliest date for both species, and in the 
Arctic fully a fortnight later. 
