132 TRAVELS OF A NATURALIST 



which case it is better to wait a week, even at St. Peters- 

 bourg, and travel by summer route ; the snow should, 

 however, be sufficiently melted by the middle of April. 

 We took this route, and found that the road is bad in 

 summer, but splendid in winter before the snow melts. 

 We found tarantasse travelling trying, though not so 

 bad, perhaps, as described. 



We also ascertained that we could get good and cheap 

 living at Archangel, either at an hotel or private lodging, 

 and we found it so ; also that there were excellent shops 

 in Archangel, at which even ' Liebig ' was procurable, 

 and that we should not need to take any provisions. 



As to servants, it was arranged that we should have a 

 man who speaks both Russ and English, and we were 

 informed that there are certainly people in Archangel 

 who can skin for us. We found that our boatmen 

 (Nicholai and Jacof Gregorovitch) could, after being 

 taught by us, skin well, as also could our new friend 

 Piottuch. Piottuch was engaged as interpreter and bird- 

 skinner, the latter under our tuition. Heinke, the man 

 employed by Hoffmansegg, had long since left, and was 

 now in South Russia. Heinrich a dealer charges too 

 high, and had but little time in summer to devote to 

 skinning. He was a furrier, and during the summer 

 lived in Solombola. 



The time of year for starting, we learnt, was about 

 the middle of April from Great Britain, but we found 

 that if the whole season's collecting be desired, it is need- 

 ful to start much earlier than we did, even earlier than 

 mid- April, in order to get the hard snow, before it melts, 

 for sledging.* 



As to firearms, we learned that Russian law required 

 them to be left at the frontier, and after due inquiries 



* This, however, is now (1903) affected by the fact of there being 

 railway communication with Archangel. 



