on the Murman Coast, Russian Lapland. 523 



sea-beaches, showing that the sea was connected with the 

 Varangerfjord in very recent geological times. 



On June 22nd we entered Litsafjord, a deep indentation 

 running into the mainland between the isthmus and Kola- 

 fjord, and spent three days exploring the district round 

 Litsa river. The country here was much freer from snow 

 and the ice had gone out of the river ; but the lakes — even 

 within 100 feet of the sea-level — were still frozen. Our 

 guide was a Finn, Johan Regina by name, who had been 

 employed by Wolley for eighteen months in Lapland, and 

 told us several incidents about him. Unfortunately every- 

 thing was translated through two languages, or we might 

 have learnt more. 



Returning to Heno on the 26th, we spent three glorious 

 days there in camp — days that one remembers long after the 

 disagreeables of Arctic travel are forgotten — when the sun 

 went round his course without a cloud in the sky ; and the 

 only indications of midnight were a coolness in the air, 

 a slight decrease in the light for photographic purposes, and 

 perhaps a little more restfulness among the noisy Arctic 

 Terns. The snow had almost entirely melted, vegetation 

 was rapidly springing into renewed life, large masses of 

 marsh-marigold and Trollkis europcMS made the scene bright 

 with their yellow flowers, and the lake, now free from ice, 

 had often 150 Ducks on its surface. Sleep seemed to be 

 rather a waste of time, and it was 5 a.m. before we could 

 bring oui selves to turn in. I have never visited any other 

 spot where bird-life was so numerous or so diversified ; on 

 the larger island — only four miles long — we recorded 38 

 species of birds. 



Leaving the islands late on the 28th, we steamed up 

 Peisenfjord, and at last, on July 2nd, succeeded in penetrating 

 the interior as far as Petschenga lake (there is only one, 

 not three), the twenty miles occupying twenty-four hours ! 

 Even this would have been absolutely impossible without the 

 kind assistance of the monks of St. Trifon's monastery, 

 who provided horses and carriages to convey us as far as 

 possible, and men to carry the tents over the last three miles. 



