300 TRAVELS OF A NATURALIST 



Owl and three Shore Larks. All of the latter we have as 

 yet obtained have turned out males ! 



The birds new to our list we have seen are a Peregrine 

 Falcon and five Ducks (?) and a ? Hen Harrier ; and we 

 also saw a second species of Gull, light-backed like a 

 Herring Gull, and doubtless of that family ! 



AVe shot also an almost perfectly mature $ Snow 

 Bunting. They are still flying about in flocks, which 

 latter, however, are not apparently so large now. AVe 

 had 2° Eeaum. of frost again to-night. 



Hay 14. 



Friday, the 14th of May, was a bright, sunny day. 

 The pools of melted snow were hard frozen, but the runlets 

 were still open. The wind was cold and from the east. 



Piottuch saw to-day a Common Snipe and a great Black 

 AVood pecker. 



To-day a grand expedition was planned against the 

 Geese, and a party, consisting of the Priestoff, M. 

 Znaminsky, the postmaster and Piottuch, Seebohm and 

 myself, started in three slegdes for a spot about 24 versts 

 up the river along the Ijma road, which has the reputa- 

 tion of being ' bolshai dobra ' [big good, or very good] for 

 Goose. 



AVhen about half-way — the road is over the frozen 

 surface of the Petchora the whole way — two Swans were 

 spied by our yemstchick sitting close in towards the 

 shore. M. Znaminsky and the postmaster — les deux 

 tres grands chasseurs of Ust Zylma, so dubbed by 

 Piottuch — started in pursuit in the former's sledge, 

 approaching them in the first sweep of a circle ; but the 

 birds rose wild, and only a flying shot with the rifle was 

 obtained. They flew across the river, and, wheeling 

 round again, alighted on the ice, and this time both 

 Znaminsky'sand the postmaster's sledge went in pursuit, 



