324 THE BREAK-UP OF THE ICE 



whizzed over my head, and out of shot again before I 

 had time to turn round. I wasted at least a dozen car- 

 tridges before I secured a bird, which fell to the ground 

 with a tremendous crash. I saw another male hen-harrier 

 and another rouofh-lesfeed buzzard, and a small hawk, 

 which I have little doubt was a merlin. On the 28th, 

 besides the flocks of geese, flocks of swans constantly 

 passed over, and I added to my collection a raven and a 

 female hen-harrier. At night, as we went to bed, the 

 thermometer stood at 25° on deck. My week's work 

 was about forty birds skinned and three new species 

 identified. We were all weary of winter. The peasants 

 told us that they never remembered so late a season. 



On Tuesday, the 29th of May, we commenced our 

 sixth week in the Arctic Circle, and a very eventful one 

 it proved. The little wind there was was southerly, and 

 the sun was hot, but still there was scarcely any percep- 

 tible thaw, and the river rose but very slowly, I did not 

 see a single hawk all day. At noon the snow-buntings 

 were perched together in a birch-tree, and in the evening 

 they disappeared. I had two long rounds in the forest — 

 not a bird visible. I heard a mealy-redpoll, but failed 

 to catch sight of it. We seemed to be reduced to the 

 pair of hybrid crows nesting near, and the nutcrackers, 

 which I did not shoot because I wanted their eesfs. At 

 that time they did not appear to have the least idea of 

 building. Their tameness was quite absurd ; there was 

 generally a pair in the rigging of the ship. About four 

 were usually to be found close to the house, and I occa- 

 sionally came upon a pair or two in the forest. A few 

 flocks of geese and swans passed over during the day, 

 now flying northwards. 



On the following day it was the old story again — a 

 clear sky and thaw in the sunshine, with a cold north 



