60 Dr. O. Finsch's Ornithological Letters. 



the Podarata river, which flows into Kara Bay, on the 2nd 

 of August, having had the good fortune to meet on the 

 road an Ostiak with his herd of reindeer, from whom we 

 purchased nine animals and three sledges to carry our pro- 

 visions. Of these animals we lost six, as the "milzbrand^^ 

 was rapidly decreasing the herds of reindeer. The Ostiak 

 had owned 2000 reindeer, a number now reduced to only 

 600 ; as many as eighty animals sometimes died in one 

 night. At the Podarata river, by chance, we found a second 

 Ostiak with reindeer, who promised to bring us to the liorder 

 of the sea. We went there in reindeer-sledges in the after- 

 noon of the 3rd of August, but to our great disappointment 

 were obliged to stop at about from twelve to fifteen versts from 

 the sea itself, of which we got only a glance. We reached a little 

 above 68° N. lat. The land before us consisted of swampy 

 ground, varied by numerous lakes and stagnant morasses, 

 which gradually give place to the very low sea-shore. It was 

 impossible to cross this tract, even with reindeer ; and not 

 being provided with a boat, and there being no wood with 

 which to build a raft, we were obliged to return without 

 reaching the shores of Kara Bay itself. We went back 

 with the Ostiak to Tschornejar, on the Schtschutschja river, 

 where we found our lotka on the lltli of August, although 

 we had lost one of our men, an Ostiak and excellent fellow, 

 who had died three days after having tasted the meat of one of 

 the reindeer which had been struck by the incurable disease. 

 During the fortnight we were absent we had to cross only 

 tundra-ground, covered with dwarf birches, dwarf willows, 

 mosses, and morasses, and varied with larger or smaller lakes, 

 and sometimes small rivers. Mosquitos swarmed all the 

 time, by day and by night. I need not say how we suflfered, 

 the more so as provisions were scarce and, on account of 

 want of fuel for fire, not easy to cook. Our principal at- 

 tention was paid to Lagopus albus, which went about with 

 fledged young, and Charudrius auratus, as both species formed 

 the chief part of our meals. Once we got a family of Geese, 

 an old female and six pretty- well grown young ; the species 

 was Anser albifrons ! Generally Geese and Swans were rare. 



