PETCHORA 465 



beyond it the grassy slope and second row of drifted 

 timber, and then the tundra. 



Here I fired into a flock of Dunlins and killed six. I 

 saw a Swan and had a long shot with P. cartridge, the 

 shot rattling on his feathers, but taking no further effect ; 

 and then I turned to come home. 



But a flock of Waders flew past and alighted far behind 

 me at a muddy dried-up pool, and I went back in order to 

 identify them and possibly get a shot. I got near and 

 saw that they were all Little Stints, and as our cartridges 

 are not so plentiful and there is little eating on a Stint, I 

 did not fire. 



I went to the end of the inlet, fording one of the two 

 entrances from the sea which has a hard, gravelly, and 

 sandy bottom, and came upon a large extent of splendid 

 grassy, dwarf- willow-covered meadow Stint ground ; but 

 over the whole of it did not see a single Stint. 



Tired, and almost done-up, I got back to the wreck late 

 at night, having been out six to seven hours and walked 

 only some paltry ten or twelve versts ; and to feel tired and 

 exhausted with this shows to some extent the insufficient 

 nature and quality of our food. We have not much 

 craving for food, merely a sense of a great void sadly in 

 want of being filled up ; and a want of elasticity and 

 strength in our limbs. Albeit we could sit down with 

 real relish to a shoulder of highland mutton, or even a 

 good big bowl of porridge. 



Close to the wreck I shot an immature Lams cacliinnans 

 [i.e., L. affinis vera), the first we have obtained, and I had 

 to walk nearly half a verst back to pick him up, the wind 

 and waves having drifted him down as far as the beacon. 



I found Seebohm had returned and had had little 

 better success than I, getting only some dozen Dunlins 

 and four Grey Phalaropes, and snapping at a Willow 

 Grouse. We have, however, enough for two small meals. 



