CULTUHE OF riT^CT'MPOT.AR ZOXE — BOGORAS 469 



uith a new sheet of ice, brijjht and smooth as polislierl ^lass. So 

 in January one may very well break down throufrh tiiis newly formed 

 ice into the coldest water up to the waist and further. 



The frost in January is sometimes 7n° (\ AVhen a person spits 

 on the fjround, the spittle falls down upon the snow like an arrow 

 of ice. Breath comes out of the mouth with a peculiar raspinp 

 sound from the smallest particles of vapor freezing into sleet. A 

 horse is surrounded with a thick cloud of its own breathing. A 

 man's face, finfjcrs, and toes are frost bitten quite unawares. This 

 hapjx'Ds 20 times in a single day after you have succeeded in rub- 

 bing them ajrain into warmth. 



The breaking; of the ice on the large northern rivers has also 

 some peculiar features. Quite suddenly, the ice sheet breaks into 

 huge blocks obstructing the current. The water rises immediately. 

 lUocked ice in all streams cuts away great pieces of the steeper 

 banks, producing genuine excavations. Stretches of surface 

 ground cave in, trees and all. So the breaking of the ice with 

 subsequent blockings and risings of the water develops on a scale 

 truly majestic and gigantic. River shores, from the upper currents 

 down to the very mouth, are covered with masses of floating ice 

 drifted ashore. Since rivers of northern Eurasia flow chiefly from 

 the south northward, their shores down to the 70° of north 

 latitude and even to the very ocean are covered with large sup- 

 plies of driftwood, good for fuel and lumber. Practically speaking, 

 the lower parts of the greater Siberian rivers, even in the middle 

 of the tundra, are surrounded by the artificial protection of the 

 forests. 



Joint interaction of astronomical and meteorological agents 

 bring forth a marked influence on various sides of human culture. 



For instance, in the spring, during long, almost endless days, 

 the upper surface of the snow thawing under the mid-day sun 

 and freezing again in the night, gradually turns into a hard crust, 

 the so-called nasi in the local Russian dialect. This snow crust is 

 of the highest importance for the conditions of spring hunting, of 

 the so-called meat-bringing character; Dog, man, and wolf may 

 easily run upon the surface of the snow, especially man support- 

 ing himself upon skis. But heavier wild reindeer and elk break 

 ihrough into the inner, soft snow, cutting their legs against the 

 sharp edges of the broken crust, and so they become helpless 

 against their pursuers. The Tungus and Yukaghir in the north, 

 the Gold and the Samaghir in the Amur country, provide the 

 better part of their food lasting for a full quarter of a year by just 

 ihis spring hunting of elk and reindeei* on the hard snow crust. 



3. Geogra])hical and geological conditions refer to the conGguration 

 of the surface of the land and to the character of the ground. The 

 28095—31 31 



