ARCHANGEL 155 



believe that the eggs or young had been eaten by the foxes 

 which abound here. Alston and I had already seen lots of 

 Cranes' footprints in the marshes. 



At midnight, the 27th-28th of June, we started for Laidi 

 Ostrov. 



June 28. 



About 1.30 p.m. on Friday, the 28th of June, we reached 

 Laidi Ostrov, having left Koombush an hour before with 

 a nice fresh breeze. On landing we had a great chase 

 after Black Vipers amongst some old logs and log houses, 

 capturing two very fine specimens, Piottuch slipping a 

 forked stick across the back of their necks. We consigned 

 them to a big jar of vodka, along with a Lamprey, a 

 Lizard, and a small fish. We also found a dead and 

 decayed A rvicola raticeps, of which Alston preserved the 

 skull, and on the shore the bones of a cetacean, sternum 

 and vertebrae, probably of bottle-nosed whale, and also of 

 a porpoise. 



Having eight hours to wait here for deep enough water 

 we went off into the woods in different directions, Alston 

 with Piottuch, and I with Nicholai. Alston had but poor 

 success, shooting only a Eustic Bunting, which was, how- 

 ever, our first example of the species. Piottuch got three 

 Willow Grouse, a Common Crossbill, a Yellow Wagtail, 

 and a young Redpoll. I had an eight-mile walk, and 

 brought in a Willow Grouse, a Pintail with down and 

 three eggs, two Waxwings, three Eedpoles, and a young 

 Redstart. Piottuch cooked us a capital dinner of duck and 

 grouse, and while we were eating it a Short-eared Owl 

 flew over us, which Nicholai marked down and killed 

 when it alighted further on the shore. 



Laidi Ostrov lies parallel with Goletz Ostrov, and is 

 covered with pine and underwood, and at low water is 

 connected with Goletz. Here and there, as upon Goletz 

 and Koombush, long shallow marshes, covered with 



