164 TRAVELS OF A NATURALIST 



Scarlet Finch (our first), two pipits (? sp.) and a Spotted 

 Flycatcher. 



I then put a female Yellow-breasted Bunting off her 

 nest, but could not at first find the latter. I shot the male 

 and watched. Presently the female went on, after flying 

 round and lighting on the tops of a broad-leaved dockweed, 

 which was growing in great abundance round. After a 

 short search I found the nest and then shot the female 

 bird. The nest contained five eggs, and was under a large 

 plant of dockweed on the ground, on a dry raised bank in 

 a marshy opening in an alder thicket, close to the mouth 

 of a kuria, or creek, near the village of Talaga on the 

 Dvina. The eggs were easily blown, but were slightly 

 incubated. These birds were the only pair seen here. 



We came in and skinned, and waited for the men's 

 return. They did not get back till six o'clock, or there- 

 abouts, having been delayed both by the wood-floating in 

 the river and by the difficulty of getting back the knife, 

 which a man had seen Alston lay down, and had meant to 

 keep. Nicholai got it at last by giving a rouble for it, but 

 the man wrote a paper saying we must send him another 

 rouble. If he says anything more we shall hand him 

 over to the police, and have him severely punished for his 

 impertinence. They also threatened to beat Nicholai if 

 the rouble were not forthcoming, which we fancy they 

 would find a tough job ! Besides the knife, he got for 

 the rouble an egg and nestling of the Common Buzzard. 



We set off, and a fair breeze brought us the 15 versts 

 back to Archangel in about an hour and a half. On 

 arrival we found a fine Crane (' giraffe') for sale, shot by a 

 peasant, for which he asked 1 rouble and 20 copecks. We 

 of course decided to have it. 



July 8. 



On Monday, the 8th of July, Nicholai made a good job 

 of the Crane, and Jacof finished all the small birds. 



