Page:The Zoologist, 3rd series, vol 1 (1877).djvu/222

196 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