PETCHORA 217 



on the steps of the altars and before the shrines, the 

 kissing of innumerable painted images of saints, and the 

 pressing of foreheads against the lips of these senseless 

 images. The wild intoning of the priests, the eager, 

 often bloodless, upturned faces of the worshippers as they 

 prayed and crossed themselves, made a scene which was 

 scarcely imposing, but curious and sad, according to our 

 ideas. 



As we could not deliver our letters to-day or get any 

 business done, we gave it up to sight-seeing and enjoying 

 ourselves. It is Mr. Treeck's birthday, so we are to join 

 this evening in a merrymaking at his house. 



We dined at the table cVliote, and got a fair dinner at a 

 moderate price. The table d'hote is the least expensive 

 item of hotel expenditure in St. Petersbourg. Then, after 

 dinner, we adjourned to Mr. Treeck's house to spend the 

 evening. 



March 8. 



On Monday, the 8th of March, we were up at a quarter 

 to ten, and went to the Museum, where we saw Herr 

 Brandt, Herr Schultz, and some of the assistant curators. 

 We saw two specimens of Middendorff's Sabines' Gulls, 

 shot on the island St. Pauls, of the Aleutian Group, but 

 we were not able to see his Siberian specimens, which 

 were not unpacked. There can, we think, be no reason 

 to doubt the accuracy, however, of his records, although 

 we should have liked to examine the specimens. 



We learned also that the Curator of the Museum at 

 Kazan — Herr Polzam — was at the Petchora last year, and 

 made general collections, which are now in the Kazan 

 Museum. W^e obtained his address with the view of 

 writing to him. He has not yet published anything about 

 his journey. 



Middendorff was at Archangel four years ago in 

 summer, also at Kola, but he did not collect at the 



