442 TRAVELS OF A NATURALIST 



without the aid of stoves or other ventilation than that 

 afforded by the entrance of the hold, almost as dry as 

 the first floors are in the latter place. 



The sea is close at hand and is almost drinkable, and 

 is suitable for boiling beef or making soup. Our tea- 

 water has, however, to be carried for a distance at 

 present, but to-morrow we shall have excellent water 

 from a runlet close at hand, which I deepened at one 

 place to catch the tiny stream. 



The bottom, or soil, at the base of the tundra-earth, 

 or peat-cliff, is deep blue, fine clay, exactly similar in 

 appearance to that which is found under our peat-moss 

 at Shirgarton (Stirlingshire) (where we get bog-oak in 

 abundance, and also where the large horns of the deer 

 were found which are now in Feilden's collection — 

 perhaps as fine as any in Scotland), 



July 23. 



On Friday, the 23rd of July, after a short but sufficient 

 sleep, and breakfast of cold toast, tea, and cold hcef fibre, 

 we told the men of the rewards for the eggs and turf 

 containing nest with old bird (5 roubles), for the young 

 in down (50 kopeks each), and the old bird procured 

 if possible. For the first nest of eggs, etc., we gave 

 5 roubles, but others afterwards only 2 roubles. 



Seebohm and I then went out, and, as the tide 

 appeared to be very low, we went again to the same 

 ground as yesterday, in the hope of shooting some more 

 Little Stints, and possibly Curlew Sandpipers. We 

 crossed over the part of the tundra where the former 

 were found breeding, but saw no more birds. We 

 observed that the particular ground frequented by them 

 is often intersected by deepish ruts crossing one another 

 at pretty regular intervals at right angles, and which are 

 about a foot deep, and clothed on their sides and edges 



