240 TRAVELS OF A NATURALIST 



We then lunched at a peasant's house, and after 

 lunch the party drove 5 versts further to old Nicholai's 

 village Pustoidvor. We found both him and Jacob ; 

 and Nicholai's wife treated us to tea and milk. I found 

 the photograph of our party in 1872 hung in a. place of 

 honour amongst the family images and ' gods ' in the 

 corner. 



We drove home about six o'clock, and the Miss Kelsons 

 dined and spent the evening with us at Mrs. Birse's. 



March 29. 



On Monday, the 29th of March, two Samoyedes came, 

 but we did not get much information either at the house 

 or at the museum, where we took them to look at the 

 birds. One of them had been ten years on the Timanski 

 Tundra, and at the mouth of the Petchora. 

 We got from them the following names of birds : 

 Oystercatcher Veterinit za (Kuss) . 

 Kuleek or Sandpiper Suilar. 

 Willow Grouse Hondje. 

 Goose (?) Yebtan. 

 Black Goose Parden Yebtan. 

 This last species goes East of Ural Mountains to breed. 



Two species of Swans Chauarl. 



The smaller species is, they say, scarce, and only seen 

 in autumn ( ?) 



They mentioned that the Swans first haunt the small 

 woods on arrival about the 15th of May. Hinged Plover 

 are found on Timanski Tundra and sandy coast, and the 

 Snowy Owl on the Tundra. 



April 1. 



On Thursday, the 1st of April, Nicholai called and we 

 tried to enter into an agreement with him about collect- 

 ing eggs ; but he was very greedy and we could not come 

 to terms at all. 



