PETCHORA 381 



* Yaitsa, tcheterai stook.' Simeon in another direction, 

 also on his knees, cried, 'Yaitsa, yaitsa.' I went with 

 Gavriel and Seebohm with Simeon. 



Gavriel's nest was another Grey Plover's with four 

 eggs. I at once lay down, saying to Gavriel, ' mars- 

 cheermn,' and he ' marscheered,' * and in twenty minutes 

 I had the female shot within twenty yards of the nest. 

 Buffon's Skuas were flying about, and Seebohm, who 

 came up, went in pursuit. 



Simeon's nest was only a Lapland Bunting's. Simeon 

 and Gavriel went to search for the nest of the Skuas, and 

 presently Simeon shouted again, ' Yaitsa,' and we went 

 up to him. ' Dobroi yaitsa,' he said, and beside him was 

 the third nest of Grey Plover. Seebohm stayed to shoot 

 the bird, and the men and I ' marscheerumed.' 



Presently I shot a fine Buffon's Skua, my first, and 

 soon after two Geese came towards us, and we all three 

 lay flat down amongst the hummocks. They came over 

 Simeon, but he moved his head too soon, and they rose 

 almost perpendicularly in the air. He fired, but without 

 effect. 



Two minutes after, or little more, I again heard him 

 cry ' goosee,' and again we lay down. This time I got the 

 shot and killed one of the pair at a long range. He fell, 

 wings up, legs hanging down, flop into a little clean pool 

 of water, not much bigger than his own body, in the 

 middle of a large dirty peat bog. A single pellet of No. 4 

 had pierced his head. 



Piottuch and Malenkai Feodor were now seen 

 approaching, and when they came up they produced 

 down and five eggs of Bean Goose, a nest of Lapland 

 Buntings, and a nest of Eed-throated Pipits, producing 

 the nest of the former containing feathers, and saying 

 that there were no feathers in the other. x\lso they had 

 ■•• Literally, walked, or luarched away. 



