The Zoologist/3rd series, vol 1 (1877)/Issue 5/A Spring Tour in Norway; With Notes on the Birds Observed There

by Frederick Shaw Mitchell

 

THE ZOOLOGIST

 

THIRD SERIES.

 

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A SPRING TOUR IN NORWAY; WITH NOTES ON
THE BIRDS OBSERVED THERE.

By F.S. Mitchell.

 

It was on the 14th May that, in company with my friend Mr. Wrigley and a Norwegian guide and collector named Lysne, I landed at Orkedalsoren (Nervig), on the Trondhjemsfjord, on the way to the Dovrefjeld, where we proposed spending most of our time. We had arrived at Trondhjem in the 'Tasso' from Hull on the morning of the 12th, meeting Lysne the evening of the same day, he having come up by coasting steamer from Lærdal. Losing as little time as possible in getting our money changed, &c., we started off at once for the interior. Our route lay through Orkedal and Meldal, past Grut to Bjærkaker, where we joined the main road from Trondhjem; thence by Austberg to Stuen and so past Aune, Drivstuen, and Kongsvold to Jerkin and Fokstuen.

The summer was one of the latest for many years, and everything was covered with ice and snow. The only birds to be seen on our landing were large flocks of Ducks, floating, shy and watchful, at the river's mouth, Ringed Plover and Oystercatchers on the links, and Bramblings and Pied Flycatchers in the woods; so that at first, as our time was limited, the prospect was rather gloomy. Things improved, however, and in the Fokstuen valley we had quite enough of sun and of the insects that disported themselves in its rays. Very little was seen of the big game of the country, no Bears, and no Reindeer, although at Jerkin we had a long walk after a herd of six that had been seen to cross the valley lower down. Wolves, however, were common about this place, and the birch-woods were full of their tracks. One night we had a great chase after a big fellow that had approached the steadings, toiled after him with the rifle about two miles up a hill-side, through knee-deep snow, but only had our labour for our pains, for he wouldn't let us come within shot. A little boy had had one threatening him the day before, on the road a mile or so away from the station, and had much ado to keep it off by shouting and throwing stones; and a friend, whom we met here accidentally, came suddenly on another, snarling and snapping in the middle of a lonely wood. Not being armed with any more trenchant weapon than a walking-stick, he politely retired backwards and stepped into a deep bog, from which he had considerable difficulty in extricating himself. Red Foxes were seen several times by the side of the road.

We had, unfortunately, to leave for home on the 16th of June, and were thus unable to wait for the nesting of many birds, whose eggs we could assuredly have procured but for want of time. Having given ourselves the least possible margin to catch the steamer at Christiania, we had to carriole nearly night and day to Lillehammer, where we took the boat down the Mjösen lake to Eidsvold, the railway terminus. Naturally, under conditions of this sort, there was very little recourse to the note-book.

The following are the notes we made on all the species of birds met with during our tour:—

Golden Eagle. Aquila chrysaëtus.—At Grut, in Meldal, we procured an unblown egg of this species, taken the year before from an eyrie in the neighbouring mountains, at which time both birds had been shot for the sake of the half-dollar which is paid by the Government for the destruction of all the larger birds of prey. The man who killed them paid a visit to the place before our departure, but there were no fresh tenants. This he did in the early morning, before anybody was up; we suppose because he was afraid we might cause him to be forestalled in the event of a future occupancy; we could not be vexed with him as he was hardly compos mente.

Merlin. Falco æsalon.—While I was slung over the cliff after the Rough-legged Buzzard on the Dovre, June 13th, a male Merlin flew past me, the only one observed.

Kestrel. Falco tinnunculus.—A nest was taken from a wood between Fokstuen and Dombaas on the 30th May. It was in a pine, was lined with wool, stuck together with mud, and looked very like the architecture of a Hoodie. There were seven eggs, sat, the hardest a week.

Goshawk. Astur palumbarius.—On May 19th, at Grut, we procured five eggs of the above, hard sat. The nest, which was of great size, and had evidently been used for many years,—the new on the top of the old,—was halfway up a tall pine, in a thick wood, on low ground, close to the River Orkla: it was composed of sticks, and lined with green pine-tufts, the eggs being laid on scraps of bark on the top of these. The ground round the tree was completely covered with bones, mostly of the various Thrushes. As we approached the old bird got off, and hovered screaming above the wood, where she was soon surrounded by a host of croaking Hoodies; it was amusing to see how they scuttled out of the way whenever she made a feint at them. She allowed us one shot at her, as she made a dash over the nest, but was missed.

Sparrowhawk. Accipiter nisus.—We never saw this hawk after landing, but on May 11th, whilst crossing, one alighted on the steamer, quite exhausted, and spent the night perched on the rigging. It would permit approach within arm's length, and could easily have been knocked down with a stick.

Rough-legged Buzzard. Archibuteo lagopus.—Saw a pair between Fokstuen and Jerkin, hovering about a big cliff, on June 3. They looked beautiful, floating between us and a bright sun, their white wing-feathers seeming almost transparent. Evidently they were breeding, as their anxious proceedings and the continual uttering of their alarm whistle whenever we went near the place plainly showed; but, to the discredit of our perception, as it turned out, we thought they were only just getting the eggs nicely laid, and so left them for a while. On the 15th, however, we started for the place, with all the available hide-rope in the valley, and whilst one end of this was held at the top of the cliff, I at the other, explored all likely places. There were three or four old nests, and it was some time before the right one was hit upon. Great was the disappointment, and inexcusable the language, when a faint whistle proclaimed young, and there they were, on a platform of sticks—three white downy lumps, with pale yellow legs and bill, the youngest only a day or two out of the shell: this the reward for a stiff, hard climb, the loss of a considerable quantity of blood from mosquito-bites, and the wearing out of the soles of a remarkably good pair of stockings. Woollen stockings, by-the-bye, are capital things for rock-climbing, don't slip, and have a good grip; they are only inferior to the skin slippers the Færoe men wear. We shot both old birds, and tried to keep the young alive, but they severally succumbed to carriole- and steamboat-travelling, and the last died just in sight of England.

Eagle Owl. Bubo ignavus.—We never observed this ourselves, but at Grut procured two fine skins, the birds having been shot there the year before.

Snowy Owl. Nyctea scandiaca.—It was the 17th of May when we arrived at Grut, and during the evening Wrigley, amusing himself by climbing to all the Magpie's nests in the neighbouring trees, came down from one with two large white eggs in his hands, which Lysne, an experienced man on this species, pronounced Snowy Owls. He went into the village to seek for information on the subject, and came back before long with a grin from ear to ear: he had found the man who had put them there, the fellow having come across them, veritable "Snee-uggla," when crossing the mountains the previous year. He had kept them twelve months, and then, thinking he would like to educate some young Owls, put them in the Magpie's nest to be hatched. A skin, too, that we got from a farmer here, when overhauled at home, was found to be stuffed with soil, and so quite rotten. One was heard, at night, when we were at Drivstuen, and here was seen the only live Lemming we came across; their skeletons were in scores.

Pied Flycatcher. Muscicapa atricapilla.—Seen in numbers at Nervig, May 16th, and eggs were given us by Herr Nissen of this place (who showed us much kindness in many ways), taken in Orkedal. None were observed after we had got on the higher ground.

Fieldfare. Turdus pilaris.—These were very few in number on our arrival at Nervig, but the migratory bands were continually arriving, and we met them in increasing flocks by the side of the road as we drove into the interior. One spent the evening of May 10th on the steamer, when two days out from Hull. Our first colony of breeding Fieldfares was met with in a wood near Dombaas on June 4th, but a fortnight after this there were many pairs only building. All the wood close to Fokstuen is birch only, and here they bred in large numbers; but five or six miles away pine is largely mingled, and where this is so the latter appears to be preferred. The nests were at heights from the ground varying from three to fifteen feet, and the most common number of eggs four, though some had six, and one seven; this last an extraordinary number. One nest was by itself in a low willow bush in the middle of the marsh.

Song Thrush. Turdus musicus.—A single nest was taken near Dombaas, June 10th, containing five eggs, hard sat. It was low down in a young pine.

Redwing. Turdus iliacus.—We saw very few of this species till we found them nesting on the Dovre, and even then they were in no great numbers. The first nest was discovered May 30th, was low down in a small pine, and contained two eggs. The nests are generally very near the ground; one taken near Jerkin on June 11th was quite so, under a small bush, and contained two young birds and two unhatched eggs; another near Fokstuen, June 7th, was on a stump close to the ground under a bush, and had two eggs, whilst a third, on the same day, was in a young birch, one foot from the ground, with six eggs, about ten days sat. I shot the hen from a nest containing three eggs, which was eight feet high in a birch, a very unusual position; this was on June 4th. The Redwing is very shy and hard to approach, except when it has young; then it is bold enough, and both parents will hop, and flit, and chatter round you as anxious as any birds need be. It would take an old hand to separate a mixed lot of Fieldfares', Redwings', and Blackbirds' nests; they appear to be constructed of exactly the same materials, and to be of the same shape and size.

Ring Ouzel. Turdus torquatus.—A male was seen June 8th, in a gully through which a brook ran, near Fokstuen.

Red-spotted Bluethroat. Cyanecula suecica.—This bonny little warbler was fairly numerous at Fokstuen, there not being so many at Jerkin, and its sweet and varied song was to be heard every day as we wandered about among the bushes on the edge of the marshes, the performer perched on the highest twig it could find. We were only lucky enough to find one nest, and that quite by chance. We saw it when building, and thought it was a Titlark's, but accidentally looking at it as we passed a few days after were agreeably surprised to find two of the well-known eggs of the Blue-throat in. It was deep, and made of dried grass, lined with finer bits, and was in the side of one of a great number of small bush-covered mounds, lying near together in quite a dry place. At first it was easy to see, but as more eggs were laid it was carefully and effectually concealed by matting the grass all round it. We took it on June 11th, when it had six eggs, as we were going to Jerkin for a few days, and were afraid to leave it for the chance of another egg. The old bird was a great skulker; we tried a surprise many times, but could never catch a glimpse of her, and only heard her once.

Redstart. Ruticilla phœnicura.—Wrigley took the first nest on June 12th, from a hole in a birch-tree near Jerkin; there were seven fresh eggs. The day the Buzzard was taken, June 15th, I was completely deceived, when, scrambling through the birchwood, a little bird started from under my feet, and popped away with a flirt of a red tail: hurrah, a Blue-throat! excited search, and grand discovery of five blue eggs in a feather-lined nest under a tree-root. Melancholic remembrance that more birds than Bluethroats have red tails. From a hole in a tree one day I extracted a dead mouse with a Redstart's egg sticking to it; retribution would appear to have overtaken a robber here.

Whinchat. Pratincola rubetra.—Only one observed, and that a male, shot between Fokstuen and Dombaas, May 31st.

Wheatear. Saxicola œnanthe.—First seen at Fokstuen, May 30th. Numbers frequented the low hills round about.

Willow Warbler. Phylloscopus trochilus.—Only one was observed: shot on Fokstuen Marsh, June 4th.

Northern Marsh Titmouse. Parus borealis.—A nest of this species was taken in the middle of a thick pine-wood at Grut on May 15th. A small round hole was bored in a rotten tree-stump about four feet from the ground, and six fresh eggs lay about six inches deep in the interior. The nest was made of thin strips of bark, and the eggs, as is the custom with many of the Tits, notably P. major, were covered.

White Wagtail. Motacilla alba.—Seen about all the villages and station-houses from Nervig onwards, but either they had not begun to build or we couldn't find the nests. One nest of five eggs was taken from a crevice in the timbers of Fokstuen station on June 10th. It was composed of hay and moss outside, thickly lined with finer bits of hay and Lemming-fur. Another was stuck on the extreme end of a projecting timber in an old boat-house; it was found when building, but the old birds saw us about it, and deserted it.

Gray-headed Wagtail. Motacilla viridis.—First seen between Fokstuen and Dombaas, May 31st. They did not appear to have commenced breeding before our departure. On June 11th, near Jerkin, we found a nest in process of building, on the banks of a stream, the old birds being about it.

Meadow Pipit. Anthus pratensis.—Very numerous on Fokstuen marsh; fresh eggs were taken from June 10th.

Lapland Bunting. Plectrophanes lapponicus.—A fine male was shot on Fokstuen marsh on June 9th, but no nest was discovered till the 14th, when four eggs, a few days sat, were obtained. Before the end of the next day two more were found, containing respectively six and seven eggs, all fresh. The nests were in each case formed of dried grass, lined with feathers, and placed in depressions of the ground under small bushes; one of them had all the feathers in the lining from the axillaries and under wing-coverts of Snipe, and looked very pretty. The birds sit very close, and when disturbed run about among the bushes, chirping very vigorously within a few feet of you, the male always appearing almost immediately, and making a duet.

Snow Bunting. Plectrophanes nivalis.—On May 26th we crossed the mountains between Kongsvold and Jerkin, the highest point of the road, and here saw our first flock of Snow Buntings; they were very wild, and would not allow of a nearer approach than fifty or sixty yards. Some were shot on the 28th at Fokstuen, but the snow now began rapidly to disappear from the hills, and none were seen after June 2nd, though we several times visited the tops of the highest hills within several miles in search of them.

Reed Bunting. Emberiza schœniclus.—Plentiful on Fokstuen marsh. A nest with four eggs was taken on June 15th from the ground under a bush. It was made of straws and lined with hair.

Brambling. Fringilla montifringilla.—Was seen on our arrival at Nervig, May 14th, where they were in pretty numerous flocks. Its curious note (which the Starling imitates to a nicety) had accompanied us all along the road, and it was with great pleasure that we heard this exchanged for the sweet song with which the male serenades his mate as she sits occupied with her motherly duties. The first nest was taken on June 6th, and in the week following a considerable number were discovered. These are usually placed in the birch trees at heights of from four to eight feet, and the number of eggs never more than four. They are composed mostly of fine straws and bents, mixed with moss and lichen, a layer of still finer bents being put in as lining, over which is a final layer of feathers.

House Sparrow. Passer domesticus.—A few were seen about the station at Aarlivold as we passed through on May 17th, and several old nests were stuck among the timbers, but this was the only place we noticed it north of the Dovrefjeld.

Hooded Crow. Corvus cornix.—These were very numerous at Nervig, feeding on the enclosed land, as a lot of Rooks might do, and one nest was taken on May 16th by Wrigley, there being four eggs, a little sat upon, in a small tree on an island at the mouth of the River Orkla. We found them as far as Drivstuen, but never saw them on the Dovrefjeld.

Magpie. Pica caudata.—Common everywhere; numbers of nests in the trees along the streets of Trondhjem, and close to boxes placed for the reception of Starlings. At Nervig was one within three yards of the ground, and at Jerkin we noticed one built among a heap of sticks reared against the barn-wall. At the former place, on May 14th, we took a nest of seven eggs, and there were many more nearly as far advanced. A nest near Fokstuen station-house was about eight feet from the ground in a small birch, and whilst in process of building was quite inaccessible from the melting snow forming a swampy lake round it, but when all this went it was left high and dry, and we visited it every morning to remove the newly-laid egg. She deposited seven, the last on June 10th, but would do no more for the furtherance of oological science.

Jay. Garrulus glandarius.—Two pairs seen at Grut, May 18th, the only ones observed.

Siberian Jay. Perisoreus infaustus.—When driving through the thick pine-woods between Austberg and Stuen, May 20th, a Siberian Jay crossed the road in front of us, but the guns happening to be packed up she went on her way rejoicing.

Great Black Woodpecker. Dryocopus martius.—On May 21st we had not left the station-house at Stuen above ten minutes when in a tall pine we descried a big hole, evidently the work of a Woodpecker. Two of us went back for a ladder, and whilst carrying this to the place the gun went on, and on our arrival Wrigley triumphantly pointed out a Great Black Woodpecker, shot just at the hole, and still clinging to the bark with its claws. It was the male, and its mouth and throat were found to be crammed full of ants; the latter being distended with them gave it a very grotesque appearance. The hole was about twenty feet from the ground, square at the bottom, but concave at the top, and about four inches across. About twenty-two inches deep were four well-grown young, which would probably have been flying in a couple of weeks. Two of them had incipient red feathers down to the base of the bill, and two with them only on the occiput, so the sexes were probably divided. The female was shot in the evening, as she tarried disconsolately near the place. The irides are a pale yellow. At Grut we procured the skin of a female killed there last season, and in a thick birch-branch near Fokstuen, on June 7th, we found a hole evidently, by its peculiar shape, dug out by this species, the other Woodpeckers all drilling a round one.

Green Woodpecker. Gecinus viridis.—Not fifty yards from the tree last described we saw a round hole, about thirty feet from the ground, in another big pine. The ladder was fetched, but unfortunately was too short; however, it was reared straight up against the tree, fastened firmly round the trunk at the top, so as not to slip, and mounted by the writer, who, having wedged his legs in the topmost rungs, commenced the operation of enlargement with hammer and chisel. The position was so awkward that, to get through the one inch and a half of sound wood and the two inches of rotten, took above two hours' hard work, but the seven fresh eggs laid on the bare wood inside, eighteen inches below the hole, were sufficient compensation for cramped legs and half-broken back. Whilst this was going on, first the female and then the male Green Woodpecker came jarring to the top of a neighbouring tree, and were both shot. The irides were pinkish.

Great Spotted Woodpecker. Picus major.—Two were seen in the same wood in which we got the Goshawk, and on the same day. May 19th.

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. Picus minor.—Not observed till we reached Fokstuen, where several were shot in the early part of June. On the 6th a nest of four eggs was taken from a hole in a small birch; they were quite fresh.

Three-toed Woodpecker. Picoides tridactylus.—A male was shot on June 6th in the birch-wood near Fokstuen.

Cuckoo. Cuculus canorus.—First heard at Jerkin, May 27th; a few remained about Fokstuen till our departure.

Swallow. Hirundo rustica.—One seen at Drivstuen on May 25th; the first and only one north of the Dovrefjeld.

Martin. Chelidon urbica.—None seen till we arrived at Jerkin, where on May 27lh they commenced to build. On the 28th, when we arrived at Fokstuen, they were also building under the eaves of the station-house, but there were no eggs at the date of our departure.

Capercaillie. Tetrao urogallus.—Wandering about on May 18th, at Grut, without the guns, we came across the only ones we saw, a male and two females, perched in a thick clump of pines; there was a tremendous clatter when they took to flight.

Black Grouse. Tetrao tetrax.—Never saw but one, and that a male, near Nervig, on May 15th.

Common Ptarmigan. Lagopus mutus.—Very few seen, compared with that next described. The last was shot at Fokstuen, May 29th, a male, the birch-wood being still deep with snow.

Willow Ptarmigan. Lagopus albus.—Very numerous in the Fokstuen valley, though none were observed till our arrival there. The first was shot May 29th, and all killed after this were in full breeding plumage, except a male on June 7th, which had a still white breast, and a number of while feathers on its back. A nest of six eggs was brought in by a boy on the 14th.

Golden Plover. Charadrius pluvialis.—A flock of about forty seen at Drivstuen, May 22nd, and very numerous about Jerkin on the 26th, all with full black breasts. The second week in June there were several pairs on the hills about Fokstuen, nesting, without doubt, but we had no time to spare for them.

Dotterel. Endromias morinellus.—There were not many flocks of Golden Plover at Jerkin and Fokstuen but had one or more Dotterel among them, and they could be seen any day on the enclosed land near the station-houses. A single pair were seen together on May 30th, between the latter place and Dombaas, but we had other birds then to look after.

Ringed Plover. Ægialitis hiaticula.—Numerous at Nervig, on the links at the mouth of the Orkla, in full breeding plumage, but not seen after our departure thence on May 17th.

Oyster-catcher. Hæmatopus ostralegus.—The remarks on the species last described might be re-written for this.

Crane. Grus communis.— On coming in to one of our meals at Fokstuen on June 15th we were told that a Crane (Trauen) had passed over the house: we had a long walk in the direction it had taken, but our eyes were never gladdened by a sight of it.

Common Redshank. Totanus calidris.—First observed May 28th between Jerkin and Fokstuen, and on June 8th some half-dozen were seen feeding near one of the pools on the marsh. They did not appear to be very plentiful, and we did not take any eggs ourselves, though on June 14th a boy brought in a nest of three.

Wood Sandpiper. Totanus glareola.—This, next to the Snipe, was the commonest species of the waders on the marsh, but somehow or other the nests were difficult to find. We only had the luck to get one, containing two eggs, on the 5th of June. It consisted of a rather deep depression with a few straws at the bottom, and the grass turned round and interwoven a little at the top, and was on a small grassy tussock.

Common Sandpiper. Totanus hypoleucus.—Two pairs were seen on the banks of the River Driva at Drivstuen, May 22nd. One of these, being shot at, was only winged, got into the water, and swam away very vigorously out of reach.

Ruff. Machetes pugnax.—A male was shot on Fokstuen marsh on June 9th, the ruff and caruncles being fully developed.

Great Snipe. Scolopax major.—We did not see this species before June 9th, at Fokstuen, though during the night, at Jerkin, they were often heard. Three nests, each with four eggs, and all about a week sat, were obtained on the 13th, 14th, and 15th of June; they consisted of slight depressions on stumps in open wet places, with a few straws at the bottom.

Common Snipe. Scolopax gallinago.—These were exceedingly numerous on the marshes, and scores might be seen and heard drumming away at the same time. The first eggs were procured June 2nd; these were a few days sat, and none that we got during our stay were entirely fresh, always four in number, and the slightest possible nest. In Faroe, in 1872, I took the most elaborate Snipe's nest I ever saw. It was as round as a Blackbird's, and as deep, constructed very neatly of dry bents, and well buried in tall grass; there were four eggs, half-hatched, the date being the 9th of June, and the bird was secured as she limped away with trailing wings.

Broad-billed Sandpiper. Limicola platyrhyncha.—On the morning of June 9th we had started from Fokstuen station-house for an exploration of the hills on the other side the marsh, and had not left it half-an-hour when a little Sandpiper that I did not recognise, got up from under my feet, was shot, and, hurrah!—proved to be a Broad-bill! It was at once decided to leave the hills for the marsh, and thither we accordingly went. Before very long four eggs were found, and so one of the prizes we hoped to get was secured. This nest was not on a tump, but a damp, grassy place, in a dry spot almost level with the mud, and consisted of a round, deep hollow filled with dry leaves of the mountain willow, whose brown colour coincided almost exactly with that of the eggs. On the 11th, at another marsh half-way to Jerkin, on which there were no willows, we took four eggs from a nest composed of dry grass simply, and which was a slight depression on a small tump surrounded by water. The colour of these was very much lighter than the first, more like a Dunlin's. Willow-leaves were not invariably used, even where they were plentiful, as was proved by a nest taken on the 14th from Fokstuen, composed solely of straws. Two others had both leaves and straws mixed, and the rest were like the first in this respect. It was curious that those nests lined with leaves contained the darkest eggs, and those with straws the lighter-coloured ones. The number was invariably four, and these were all fresh, or nearly so, in the seven nests we took, between the 9th and 15th. The open spaces of the marsh appeared to be preferred, where it was free from bushes, and the ground very soppy and wet. The birds in all cases were very tame, would not get off the nest till nearly trodden on, alighting only a few yards away, and running about among the tumps with an occasional subdued half-chirp half-whistle. The male is never far away, always ready to join his mate if she leaves the nest. Irides and legs dark brown. During the last week of our stay a lot of our best working ground was spoiled by a party of German gentlemen, who, in passing Fokstuen, announced that they were on their way to the North Cape, but unfortunately took it into their heads to have a little sporting at Jerkin. Every stream was netted, every marsh within several miles shot over, and it was very annoying to find on some cherished tit-bit of bog a lot of empty cartridge-cases scattered about.

Red-necked Phalarope. Phalaropus hyperboreus.—Was first seen on May 28th, near Fokstuen, where we afterwards found them in considerable numbers. We tried hard for the nests, but never found one, and doubt if they had begun to lay.

Shoveller. Spatula clypeata.—A boy at Fokstuen, June 13th, brought in six eggs, with the down from the nest. Mr. Harvie Brown has courteously examined these, and pronounces them to be of the above species. The average size of the eggs is 2⁷⁄₆₄×1²⁹⁄₆₄ inches.

Teal. Querquedula crecca.—Plentiful at Fokstuen. A nest of eight fresh eggs was taken on June 2nd, on marshy ground close to the water, and sheltered a little by a stick arching over. Another, with nine eggs, a few days sat, was taken on the 13th.

Scoter, Oidemia nigra; Velvet Scoter, Oidemia fusca; Scaup, Fuligula marila.—These all appeared on the marsh on June 2nd, in considerable numbers, but no eggs were taken by us. Our German friends, mentioned above, had completely demoralised the ducks.

Long-tailed Duck. Harelda glacialis.—One seen flying over Fokstuen early in June, the only individual observed.

Red-breasted Merganser. Mergus serrator.—A male was brought to us at Grut on May 19th, shot on the river with a rifle-bullet through its neck.

Black-throated Diver. Colymbus arcticus.—A pair were seen on May 28th, whilst driving from Jerkin to Fokstuen, one of the large lakes by the road-side having got the ice away from about one hundred square yards of its surface. They were left alone in the hope that their eggs might be secured, but were never seen again.

Lesser Black-backed Gull. Larus fuscus.— One seen on June 8th, flying over the marsh opposite Fokstuen.