444 TRAVELS OF A NATURALIST 



July 24. 



Saturday, the 24th of July — the sun had set last 

 night, and remained under the horizon line of the Arctic 

 Ocean about two hours. 



After midnight, it being perfectly calm, and the men 

 having had a long day on the tundra, Seebohm and I 

 took the small boat and rowed along the shore to the 

 other side of the Eiver Dvoinik. 



The ' twin capes ' are the two promontories on each 

 side of the river or entrance to the inlet ; but the Eiver 

 Dvoinik flows into the narrow entrance close to the 

 East Cape of Dvoinik from a south-easterly direction — 

 from the direction of the Eytkoff Mountains. 



We shot first a Temminck's Stint, which species is 

 much commoner on this east side, and it ascends, as we 

 afterwards observed, the muddy valley of the Dvoinik 

 Eiver in some numbers. 



Shortly afterwards we slew some Long-tailed Ducks 

 and a Pintail, and secured the young of the other. 



The Long-tailed Ducks were the tamest of the tribe 

 we have met with anywhere, allowing a near approach 

 in the open, but the quickness with which they ' dive at 

 the flash ' makes it often difficult to shoot them. 



AVe found these birds on a grassy meadow similar in 

 nature to the one already described, and also Einged 

 Plover along the sandy and gravelly stretch of ground 

 between the meadow and the sea. 



Close to the promontory and to the mouth of the 

 river there is a small wooden hut, built of drift-logs, 

 which could be easily made habitable in a short time, 

 and a cross of the same material stands beside it. 



Working on past the meadow to the gently-rising 

 tundra, we searched in vain for more Little Stints. On 

 the meadow, on the margin of its many little pools, 

 Seebohm had shot two out of a small party of three 



