PETCHORA 441 



It is also worthy of remark that the old birds did not 

 hover in the air above us as Temminck's Stint does at its 

 nest, but only, as already described, flew in small circles 

 round us, alighting tamely always within range of our 

 guns. The first old bird secured was, without exception, 

 the tamest bird I have ever seen, Dotterels and Phalaropes 

 not excepted. 



Piottuch, in capital spirits and with deservedly good 

 luck, afterwards secured for us four more young Grey 

 Plovers, and shot the old bird. We searched for more 

 Stints' nests, starting two or three more birds near the 

 same place, but found no more eggs or young, and 

 returned to our Crusoe- dwelling late in the night to sup 

 off an excellent ' Kouropatki ' stewed with wild leeks, 

 and bread fried and browned in butter. ' Toutcs choses 

 sont ires bonnes.' 



Our house is the spacious hall of the wreck, which is 

 wind-proof at all events, and clean (?) and dry, and quite a 

 palace compared to our quarters at the lading-port of ' la 

 pauvre Comjjagnie.' We wish much we could have known 

 a fortnight earlier of this ground. We should have lived 

 here a month as easily as a week, and more comfortably 

 and more independently than at Aiexievka. 



Seebohm and I have rigged up a capital table at the 

 bow with the cover of the hold, and a waterproof sheet 

 for a table-cloth. We have a capital bed on the sloping 

 curved side of the hold with our mattresses, pillows, and 

 wraps, and the men sleep at the other end. 



Piottuch has a little house on deck all to himself to 

 skin and sleep in, the bottom of which (or floor rather, 

 with part of the walls) is let down into the hold about 

 two feet and a half. 



The wreck has lain here now about three years, but 

 is in a good state of preservation, and, not being subject 

 to inundation in spring, like the houses at Aiexievka, is. 



