






Sec SOS FF IE EE PET = 
ee, STS ET SS SO ES 
—— 
- Ss ~ i ey fe ee ee ee ei Se eS 
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ras a : —P¢ . _ a 
446 Messrs. H. Seebohm and J. A. Harvie Brown on 
on the islands. Almost every lakelet on the tundra held a 
pair; and several pairs are often seen on the larger lakes. It 
is certainly the commonest Duck on the tundra. In the 
evenings also their curious cries, “ cow-cow-w-te,” or, as we 
sometimes imagined, “ kolqu-d-ef” (the name of a large island 
in the Arctic Sea north of the Kafiin tundra), were heard 
constantly at Alexievka; and a large lagoon close to the houses 
was pretty regularly frequented by them. We believe, how- 
ever that all the eggs brought to us by the Zyriani were taken 
on the tundra and not on the islands, because this species 
does not frequent the islands for the purpose of breeding. 
This is the tamest species of Duck with which we are ac- 
quainted, being almost Grebe-like in its unwillingness to 
take wing. ‘They are, on the other hand, experts at diving, 
and, although they often permit of a close approach in the 
open, they are difficult to shoot, eluding the charge of shot 
by rapid and repeated diving. On the larger lakes they 
sought safety by swimming out to the centre, where they 
could calmly repose in conscious security. We obtained the 
young near Kuya, on the occasion of our second visit, and at 
Dvoinik, when the parent: bird showed great solicitude, swim- 
ming up to the brood and trying to prevail upon them to follow 
her otit to the centre of the lake, the young apparently being 
more inclined to hug the shore. We did not take any eggs 
ourselves; but Simeon explained by signs that they were 
generally placed under thick bushes of dwarf willow, birch, 
or juniper (pointing to a plant of each), and were well con- 
cealed. Two nests, however, which we saw at Dvoinik, after 
the young had been hatched out, were deep cup-like hollows in 
the bare dry meadow, chosen amongst the vegetable scum 
which had been thrown up and left by the water, and which, 
either by accident or design, formed part of the lining and 
edging of the nests. We gathered the down from these nests, 
but did not see any shells of broken eggs lying in or near 
them. We obtained eggs not very far advanced in incubation 
at Dvoinik as late as the end of July. These were brought 
in by our men. 

