PETCHORA 



277 



Seebohm shouldered his snow-skates and I tied mine 

 to my bag, and we started across the river to try the 

 north bank of the Zylma. Snow-skates are about as 

 inconvenient indispensables as one can find. The fasten- 

 ing of them on, and the continual loosening of the straps 

 in the first place ; and the awkward positions and 

 situations one gets into afterwards in thick willow 

 swamps, sloping banks with stumps or bow-shaped 

 branches protruding from the snow, and even sometimes 

 in the open ground unless one is expert in their use, 

 make them, though necessary, most troublesome. But 

 anything is better than plunging at every step up to one's 

 waist, and getting along at the rate of half a mile an hour. 



All we saw in the mixed alder and birch and willow 

 forest to the north of the Zylma was a solitary Marsh Tit, 

 which Seebohm shot, and afterwards on the island I had 

 a long shot at a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. 



We again examined the snares more minutely, and 

 found them resemble one another in general appearance 



and mode of working. Fig. 1 represents the whole 

 springe ; la is the string forming the noose, one end of 

 VOL. II. 20 



