








228 Messrs. H. Seebohm and J. A. Harvie Brown on 
the top of a hummock, one of a ridge of dark peaty loam; 
and the eggs are much darker. At the first nest to-day 
the birds were remarkably silent, and the female only once 
or twice uttered the single note before going onto the 
nest. ‘The males generally arrive in the vicinity of the nest 
after the females do, remain stationary in one spot for a long 
time, and when the females settle on the nests, take wing and 
fly off. The males appear darker to the eye, blacker-breasted, 
and whiter over the eye; but some females are much darker 
than others, and are nearly as dark as some males. As the, 
season advances, the males retain their full plumage longer, 
whilst the female becomes much lighter, and the black on 
the breast becomes narrower. 
25th July—At 150 yards distance a female appeared 
of a dull grey colour; and at 15 yards only a narrow strip 
of black on the breast was discernible; but at 150 yards the 
breast of the male seemed as black as ever. 
“Tt was trying work to-day waiting to find these nests; 
the mosquitoes swarmed over our hats and veils and clothes. 
As we lay looking along the ridges and across the hollows, 
they seemed like a mist on the tundra, and the unceasing 
hum of the legions around us dulled the sounds of the smaller 
bird-voices further off. They got inside our veils, they crept , 
up our cavalry gauntlets and bit our wrists, or searched 
patiently for openings in the sewing, and they found out rents 
and thin places in our clothes. They blinded us with their 
legions, deafened us with their hum, nearly beat us off by 
their force of character and determination. 
2th July.—Later in the day Seebohm and I watched 
another pair of Grey Plovers; but on this occasion, as with 
the last pair of birds, the male showed more finesse and 
anxiety than the female. We failed in marking the female 
to the nest, but went forward to the places where we had 
respectively seen her twice disappear. As it afterwards turned 
out, Seebohm went about 20 yards too far to the left, and I 
about the same to the right. Both birds flew round us in 
circles. I concluded that they had young, and Seebohm that 
they had eggs. We had despaired of finding them, eggs or 
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