ARCHANGEL 165 



A distressing thing happened to-day. Nicholai's dog bit 

 out the eye of the poor little pet dog belonging to the 

 house, and the doctor was at once sent for. Piottuch and 

 Nicholai went out about three o'clock to shoot behind the 

 town, and it was on their way there that it happened. 

 It is very annoying and distressing to us. The poor little 

 beastie, too, is so patient under the pain it must be suffer- 

 ing, and, as its mistress, Madame Leitzoff, saj^s, as it holds 

 up one little paw, seems to think itself in fault and to beg 

 pardon: — 'Paiivre helle i^eiite.' The veterinary surgeon 

 came, and the eye had to be taken out, which operation 

 he performed well, though it w^as an ugly one to look at ; 

 and very patient the doggie was under it. 



In the evening Mr. Birse went out for a short sail, and 

 we accompanied him. We landed on Moses Island, and 

 Alston and I shot with our stick-guns four Terek Sand- 

 pipers, one of w4iich was young of the year, so that now 

 we have all the stages. 



Piottuch and Nicholai brought in while we were out, 

 about a score of small birds, the only good ones being 

 two Pipits of different species (meadow and red-throated'?), 

 four Little Buntings, and a young Eedwing, and young 

 Willow Warbler. 



We had a capital supper and a very pleasant evening at 

 Mr. Birse's, and he gave us some excellent American 

 tobacco, which he had obtained from a ship's captain for 

 nothing. So our smoking does not cost us much ! 



July 9. 



On Tuesday, the 9th of July, we went to the market, 

 where we bought a Hazel Grouse (Kaibchik) and three 

 Sterlets — one to preserve and two to eat. They are, as 

 Alston remarked, ' verrie goode meate.' 



A young fellow, named Hartmann, brought us three 

 Pine Grosbeaks, alive and quite tame — very handsome 



