PETCHORA 409 



whilst en route to Kuja, not having had much success at 

 his fishing-grounds, leaving the other fisherman — his 

 mate — fishing on an island opposite Stanavoialachta. 

 This was on the 30th of June {q.v.). 



We purchased the eggs, and offered to buy more if 

 brought along with the birds, and it was then that he 

 told us that his mate had the skin. 



We found that our boatman — ' Bolshai Feodor' — knew 

 the man, and that we had ourselves seen him on the said 

 island, where we found the two Shoveller's eggs on the 

 28th of June (q.v.). 



On the 6th of July we went to Stanavoialachta and 

 there learned that the other man had taken the Swan's 

 skin to Mikitza, where he lives. 



We return to Alexievka and send Malenkai Feodor, our 

 sharpest servant, to purchase the whole skin or bill. He 

 goes by steamer to Kuja, and walks 5 versts to Mikitza, 

 but finds that the peasant has again left to fish at another 

 place. He buys the skin, however, from his wife, the 

 only Swan's skin in the house, and also secures the bill, 

 which had been cut off and given to the children to play 

 with, which is a common custom on the Petchora. 



The identification of true Bewick's Swan enabled us to 

 add the Whooper Swan to our list of birds noted. The 

 incorrectness of the head coloured from YarrelVs wood- 

 cut and description rendered it impossible to identify the 

 Whooper. 



How often do we poor field-naturalists long for a 

 portable guide to assist in our identifications in the field ! 

 Will not some able naturalist at home some day soon lend 

 us a helping hand and supply what ought long ago to 

 have been within our reach ? We should do better work 

 if we had some little help in the field, and there would 

 be less occasion to have everything sent to London for 

 identification. 



