236 TRAVELS OF A NATURALIST 



ball-room — its floor of polished wood — with card, reading, 

 billiard, and dining-rooms opening off it, and is much 

 frequented in the evenings, especially in winter. 



Outside is a good ice slide, upon which Seebohm and I 

 ventured to-day for the first time. Birse played a trick 

 on me, raising the sledge and shooting me down the 

 slide in a most undignified manner, minus the sledge. I 

 felt it cold behind. 



Ladies in St. Petersbourg and Archangel can go down 

 in these sledges in a standing position, and Mrs. Birse 

 is one who does it well, I believe. 



The beginning of the slide is at an angle of 45° and 

 about 20 feet high, the top at either end being reached 

 by a flight of steps. To steer, the slider requires to wear 

 thick gloves, and, sitting on the sledge, to steer right or 

 left by placing his hand on the ice on that side to which 

 he desires to go ; or, by lying on his stomach, steer with 

 his feet. 



Uarcli 24. 



The thermometer was in the morning of Wednesday, 

 the 24th of March, at 10° Reaum., and by midday rose to 

 8° Reaum., the weather being bright, clear, and quite 

 warm. 



We called this day upon the Vice-Governor, with 

 whom we had a pleasant interview, and he promised us 

 two circular letters (duplicates) to the Ispravniks of the 

 towns and villages along our route. Also at the same 

 time, Carl Ivanovitch (Charles Birse) met the chief 

 medical police-inspector, who kindly promised to assist 

 me in procuring trustworthy medical information about 

 the Samoyedes. 



The Vice-Governor distinctly stated that, ' without 

 exception,' the birds in the museum here were all shot in 

 the Archangel Government. 



