ARCHANGEL 173 



We had planned overnight with our landlord to search 

 for Eaibchik (Hazel Grouse), about ten versts away, 

 starting about three o'clock this morning, but Birse 

 confirmed the doubts we had as to the locality holding 

 Eaibchik, so we were easily persuaded to pack up and go 

 back with him to Archangel. We left about 6 a.m. 

 [Alston's diary has it, arrived at Archangel at 6 a.m.]. 

 Landing on an island on the w^ay, we shot a Yellow- 

 breasted Bunting and a Sedge Warbler. 



The two boats had then a race home, but ours was far 

 superior, and Nicholai, Jacob, and one of Birse's men, 

 with Carl and Alston, easily beat the other boat, although 

 Birse's men were the best rowers. We then had a 

 glorious bathe and romp, then a cup of coffee at Mr. 

 Birse's, then to bed about 9 a.m., sleeping till 1.30 p.m. 



We then had another bathe and a romp with Birse, 

 Piottuch, Carl, and Ernst, then unpacked the boxes and 

 birds, and got things more ship-shape, as they had been 

 very hurriedly packed. 



We planned our next trip, which will probably be 

 either to Urus Reaka or to Lya, and then our last, we 

 hope, to Solovetsk. Carl will accompany us on one and 

 Ernst on the other. They are both exceedingly nice 

 fellows, though I get on best with Carl, as he speaks 

 more English than Ernst. Carl is very like my old 

 schoolfellow and friend ' Doggie ' Grant,* and of much 

 the same character and temperament. 



July 18. 

 Thursday, the 18th of July, was cooler, and we had a 

 thunderstorm. We had planned to have a photograph of 

 our boat and crew taken at the landing-place, but it was 

 a failure, Herr Hilda, the photographer, not having a 

 dark tent, and it being too far to carry the plate to his 



'■' The late Alexander Grant, of New Zealand. 



