
i 
f 
if 
pa at 
Nat 
Pay, ‘ 
Ws} Tag} 
u 
2 eal 
eeditbe ey 
i 2) 
te | Pita 
i ; 
ie 
Ht 
Gia! 
ire gy 
i Ke 
ae ty es © 
: a] 
/ tik 
unit 
eA Bb 
M8 as 
ia J 
1) PUG dae 
Se ee ane 


806 Messrs. H. Seebohm and J. A. Harvie Brown on 
their young or eggs, a pair of Buffon’s Skuas, and a pair of 
Arctic Terns.” [The Buffon’s Skuas, I may mention, each 
carried off a Dunlin out of a flock, and, bearing them away 
to the hummocky tundra opposite, proceeded to tear them to 
pieces and devour them. This I watched them do through 
my glass later.] “On arriving at a point on the river’s bank 
(neutral ground between tundra and meadow) almost im- 
mediately opposite the place where Piottuch found the fifth nest 
the day before yesterday, I saw a Little Stint fly up from its 
feeding-ground and alight by the side of a small pool of water. 
Afer ten minutes spent in preening its feathers, our little 
friend flew up and again settled on the slope close to an iso- 
lated bunch of wild leeks. Here it again preened its fea- 
thers for a few seconds, and then, running down a little slope 
towards me, disappeared behind a low ridge. I watched for 
its reappearance for three or four minutes, and then walked 
straight up (about forty yards) to the nest, flushing the bird 
off when not more then ten yards from it. The nest con- 
tained four eggs. The bird settled fifteen yards further off, 
and then flew straight away, being, I believe, more alarmed 
at the presence of the black dog, Isaac, which had accom- 
panied me, than at mine. I waited by the side of the nest 
for some time, seated on the end of a trunk of drift wood, and 
at last got a shot at the bird and wounded her slightly. She was 
very shy and evidently alarmed. After I wounded her she 
flew away and did not return, though I waited quite an hour. 
This nest (No. 6) was in quite different ground from the 
others, and was hollowed out amongst loose half-sandy soil, 
which was sparingly covered with short green grass. Further 
inland were many plants of dwarf willow. The real tundra 
was 150 yards distant from the nest. I took occasion to pace 
the distance as I returned from gathering sphagnum where- 
with to pack the eggs. Close to the nest was a quantity of 
small drift wood, and one stem of considerable size, the 
former scattered over the meadow, and a few small pieces 
touching the edge of the nest. The nest was lined with dried 
willow-leaves and bits of carex, and contained four eggs, 
handsome dwarf Dunlin’s, richly blotched at the large ends. 


