392 TRAVELS OF A NATURALIST 



To-night a fisherman from beyond Boluanski Bucht 

 brought in two Swan's eggs, and said that the bird 

 of the nest is in the hands of another peasant near 

 Stanavoialachta. 



We foresee that we shall have some difficulty in tracing 

 this bird and getting it. Piottuch, as usual, says, ' II est 

 impossible,' but we say, ' Toutes choses sont possibles, 

 monsieur.' We offered to-night 5 roubles reward for eggs 

 and bird of any species of Swan. All the Swans' bills we 

 have seen as yet are those of Bewick's Swan. 



We have still a good chance, when the ' Sivan-upplng ' 

 comes oft', of examining a number of Swans' skins, and we 

 have given Piottuch instructions to secure all the bills he 

 can during his return journey to Ust Zylma. All caught 

 prior to the beginning of September are secured by 

 peasants in the delta, but those which go to Pifiega Fair 

 after that date come from Kolguev — so Piottuch says, but 

 all this information must be taken cum grano salis. 



Simeon found to-day two nests of Swans. He brought 

 two eggs from one nest, which he found lying, one some 

 yards out of the nest on one side, and the other some 

 yards from the nest on the other. He thinks that this is 

 the nest of a Swan which he killed some days ago, and 

 which fell into the river and was lost, and that the male 

 had scattered the contents of the nest when he found that 

 the female had not returned. The other nest contains 

 four eggs, and to-morrow he and Feodor are to go to set 

 an iron trap for the bird. 



Jime 30. 



On AVednesday, the 30th of June, we went in Captain 

 Ensel's boat to Vasilkova Ozero, where some of the 

 Company's timber is lying, and walked over a part of the 

 tundra there, but without great success. Numbers of 

 Golden Plover were seen, but only one Grey Plover, 

 though it is only 4 versts across the lake, or branch of 



