the Birds of the Loiucr Petchora. 439 



loudly proclaimed our unwelcome presence^ and^ moreover, 

 the somewhat opeu willow-scrub offered but a very insuffi- 

 cient means of concealment. The mosquitos too bit badly, 

 and we had no veils. We consoled ourselves with the fact 

 that the four eggs were very large, and finally gave in, 

 took them, and the next day continued our voyage until 

 we arrived at Alexievka. On the islands of the delta our 

 men searched diligently for Swans' nests, incited by the offer 

 of a reward of five roubles for the eggs and bird of any species 

 of Swan, which reward we promised to any one, either of our 

 own men or of the Zyriani workmen, who would bring them 

 to us. Two or three nests were found. At one a trap was 

 set by Simeon and Little Feodor, which was too weak to 

 hold the bird. The two eggs of this nest were smaller than 

 any we had yet got. All chance of identifying these was 

 lost, as the Swan had gone into the trap and left in it only a 

 few feathers. At another nest we watched a whole day and 

 night in a small branch -hut which had been erected previous 

 to our own arrival at the spot, and which was quite sufficient 

 in itself to scare any Swan away. Piottuch and Harvie 

 Brown relieved one another at the post, but, it is almost need- 

 less to say, without success ; indeed the watch was kej)t up 

 more for the purpose of doing all possible justice to the finder 

 than with any expectation of getting a shot. This nest was 

 in the midst of dense jungle of willow-scrub between two 

 small lakes. There were no tracks leading to it made by the 

 birds ; and the only way they could have come to it must have 

 been from above. 



It is needless to recount more failures. Suffice it to say 

 that the difficulties of finding a Swanks nest and afterwards 

 of obtaining the bird it belonged to are very considerable 

 in these densely covered islands of the Petchora delta. Had 

 we possessed a good steel trap or two, perhaps we should 

 have had better success, perhaps not. 



At last, one day, the 29th June, a Russian fisherman arrived 

 in his boat at Alexievka, having come from his fishing-encamp- 

 ment lower down the river. He brought with him some 

 eggs, and amongst them two very small Swan's eggs, which 



