SMEW. 503 



vaara.' The box was not tied nor secured in any way ; and 

 on the lid being opened, there first appeared a well-written 

 Finnish letter, of pai-ts of which the following is an exact 

 translation : — 



" ' Matthias Lasko of Made-koski-kyla, on the Kitineu- 

 joki, five miles [Swedish] from Sodankyla, has found on the 

 Liesi-joki eggs of Uiuilo, and has brought to me three eggs, 

 on which is written a number like this,' [Here follows a 

 facsimile of the figure 1 on the eggs. It appears from 

 Hermelin's map, that the Kitinen-joki, of which the Liesi 

 is doubtless a tributary, runs into the Kemi-joki a little 

 north of Sodankyla.] ' They were found on the 8th day of 

 the Summer-month [June] 1857. Of an old birch-trunk 

 the wood was rotted away, and it was left hollow, forming a 

 hole in which they were.' [The expression used involves 

 the idea of the trunk being still standing.] ' There were 

 two men in company ; and the other man has given four 

 eggs to the priest : there were seven of them ; but there 



was no down brought The Uinilo was also killed ; 



and with the eggs it too is sent. — Carl Leppajervi. First day 

 of the Hay-month [July] 1857. This Uinilo was taken to 

 the priest, and he wants for it 20 copecks.' 



" The next, or probably the first thing in the box that 

 struck my eye, was a stiff-necked skin of a female Smew, 

 with hatching spots on its underside ; then I came to five or 

 six much-injured eggs of Greenshank and other birds ; and 

 lastly, at the bottom of all, well- wrapped in tow, were the 

 three Smew's, blown each with two holes, which I afterwards 

 found it safe to round off with a drill. The eggs rather 

 staggered me at first sight, they were so like Wigeon's. 

 From time to time I held consultations over them. On 

 comparing them with a series of something like fifty Wigeon's 

 eggs, I found that they were pretty nearly of the same size, 

 though rather below the average. They were flattened at 

 the small end more than any of the Wigeon's, and they had 

 less of the yellowish tinge about them, so that persons not 

 much used to eggs could pick them out of the lot ; but all 

 these peculiarities might be accidental, though it seemed 



