the Birds uf the Lower Petchora. 441 



tundra, and had covered a considerable extent of country. 

 According to their account, extracted by much cross-question- 

 ing, with and without Piottuch's assistance, they had been 

 away towards the south-west and had seen a great lake near 

 the sources of the Eevka and Erisvanka rivers. They said 

 they had walked a distance of twenty-five to thirty versts — 

 which, upon the North-Russian tundra, is equivalent at least 

 to as many miles on a Yorkshire moor. They had seen nine 

 Swans, '' all of the small kind,'^ at the edge of the big lake, 

 and had succeeded in stalking up to within thirty paces of 

 them. On being slightly alarmed the Swans swam close u}) 

 together and stretched up their necks. Simeon and Feodor 

 both aimed ; but Feodor's " pooshka " (literally cannon) re- 

 fused to go off. Feodor therefore was left disconsolate ; but 

 Simeon succeeded in shooting one. Afterwards we saw 

 several Swans at Dvoinik, and the footprints of others on the 

 damp sand or mud. The measurements of these latter agreed 

 with the specimen procured, the middle toe of which is nearly 

 one inch shorter than that of the larger species. We con- 

 sider that Bewick's Swan is not uncommon on the delta of 

 the Petchora, but, from what we have seen, that its distribu- 

 tion there docs not extend so far up the river in the breeding- 

 season as that of the Hooper, but that both species pass Ust 

 Zylma on migration, though of this last we cannot, of course, 

 speak positively. 



Anser segetum (Gm.) . 



The Bean-Goose arrived at Ust Zylma on the lOtli May. 

 Small parties and sometimes large flocks continued to fre- 

 quent the neighbourhood wherever there was any open water 

 until the ice and snow had all disappeared, when the Geese 

 disappeared also. At Kuya, on the 19th June, we got eggs 

 of the Bean-Goose considerably incubated. At Alexievka 

 we not unfrequently found their nests concealed in the long 

 grass on some hillock or islet on the banks of the lakes on 

 the tundra, and we secured a number of eggs. We did not 

 find any of their nests on tlie islands of the delta. The Bean- 

 Goose is an early breeder, and doubtless makes its nest on 



