Oit Birds observed in the Kola Peninsu/a. 47 o 



XXVII — On the Birds observed in the Kola Peninsula, 

 Russian Lapland. J5y Harry F. Witherby, F.Z.S. 



With llie intention of crossing Russian Lapland and in- 

 vestigating the avifauna of the dis'a'iet^ my friend Mr. A. E. 

 Haraerton and I set out from England on June 3rd, 1899. 



On our arrival at Vardo on June 14th, we found that the 

 season was the latest within the memory of the oldest in- 

 habitant of that town ; and in consequence we had to wait 

 several days before a Russian steamer arrived to take us on 

 to Archangel. During this enforced delay we made a small 

 collection of birds in the neighbourhood of Vardo. June 

 19th was spent at Petschenga, and it was not until we had 

 returned home that we found that the Messrs. Pearson 

 1 ad been in the same place five days before us (see Ibis, 

 1899, p. 522). Like iMi-. Pearson, we found the snow here 

 waist-deep and the bare patches round the village alive with 

 birds. As Mr. Pearson has already treated fully of the birds 

 of this district, I need only say that the Wood-Sandpiper, 

 which does not appear in his list, was very plentiful here on 

 June 19th. We also found half-finished nests of the Red- 

 throated Pipit and the Lapland Bunting, although the few 

 small patches of ground bare of snow were practically under 

 water; Temminck's Stints also were pairing. 



We left Petschenga on June 20th, in a Russian steamer 

 bound for Archangel, but we were still the victims of delay, 

 ice and fog keeping us hove to for four days in the White 

 Sea, and it was not until June 28tli that we arrived at 

 Arcliangel. Let me advise no one to go to Archangel with 

 guns and cartridges if he can possibly avoid doing so. We 

 were subjected to an enormous amount of inconvenience 

 and considerable expense at the customs, and it was only 

 by the kind help of the English vice-consul, Mr. Henry 

 Cooke, as well as by dint of very hard work on our own 

 part, that we were able to get our baggage cleared in three 

 days and so catch the weekly steamer to Kandalax on 

 July 1st. The following day we made a stay of some hours 

 at the far-famed monastery of Solovetskoi, Within the high 



