the Birds of the Lower Petchora. 437 



sun-light. Compare descriptions of various kinds of Duck^s 

 dowai given by Sommerfeldt (' Zoologist/ June 1867, p. 77Q), 

 in which, however, the downs are described from single sprays. 

 Our method, we believe, will also be found useful in assisting 

 to distinguish them. 



Cygnus aiusicus, Bechst. 



Wild Swans were amongst the first migrants to appear ; and 

 the first note we have of their arrival is dated the 11th May. 

 They were afterwards seen occasionally before the snow melted 

 and up to the date of the breaking-up of the ice on the Zylma 

 (20th May), but not again until the 12th June, when as 

 we descended the river a flock of five or six were seen fre- 

 quenting a lagoon, and were disturbed by the flag flying at 

 our masthead as it appeared above the fringing belt of willows. 

 Afterwards we saw Swans occasionally along the river, and 

 numerously in the neighbourhood of Alexievka. We found 

 a nest of eggs on an island opposite Kuya on the 17th June; 

 and several nests were brought in by the Zyriani and by our 

 own men, who were expressly told off* to find Swans' nests, 

 and, if possible, to secure the birds. In this latter part of 

 their instructions, however, they signally failed ; and we had 

 almost despaired of identifying the rarer species and obtain- 

 ing authentic eggs, although we felt tolerably certain that 

 Swans of two sizes did pass Ust Zylma on migration. We 

 saw Wild Swans frequenting the ''kourias"" and delta gene- 

 rally up to the last days of our stay. As we left Alexievka 

 on our voyage home on board the ' Triad ' we met five boats 

 returning from Varandai ; and we were told by the Russian 

 sailors on board the steamer which was towing us out of the 

 river that they would bring many furs and Swans' and other 

 skins to the great markets. At the end of August boats 

 return from the still more distant island of Kolguef with many 

 Swans' skins, and the down of various species of wildfowl. 

 We regretted that we could not have remained one day longer 

 at Alexievka to have seen these Vai'andai fishermen as they 

 passed. These stores of furs and birds' skins, reindeer's 



2 H 3 



