P ETCH OR A 247 



At Varandai,Kichter saw ' small Black Geese/ the young 

 unable to fly, and the old moulting and also unable to fly. 



April 6. 



On Tuesday, the 6th of April, we concluded our pre- 

 parations, including the purchase of a second sledge, and 

 left Archangel at ten o'clock at night. The Birses, Herr 

 Holla, and Franz Franzovitch Craemers accompanied us 

 8 versts to the first village, where we had tea. Songs 

 were sung, and at 1 a.m. we bade adieu to our kind 

 friends. 



April 1. 



On Wednesday, the 7th of April, between Kosgogorskaia 

 and Cholmogory, we saw two flocks of Snow Buntings, 

 and before reaching the next station, Ust Pinegskaia, we 

 saw another large flock and killed two birds out of it with 

 my stick-gun. 



The road after Ust Pinegskaia passes through forests 

 and along the frozen Pifiega river for some distance. The 

 river banks rise about twenty feet above the water, and 

 both sides are clothed with forest consisting of spruce 

 fir and pine the former here predominating mingled 

 with larch, poplar, and birch. The only birds observed 

 were a few Crossbills which flew across the road. The 

 road was very bad, a deep rut having been worn by the 

 horses' feet during the fair-time at Pifiega, and the sledge- 

 way in consequence stood a foot or more above that level. 



At Nijnaya-Palengskaia, the next station, a black dog 

 joined company with our sledges, and accompanied us all 

 the way to Mezen. 



Our last station to-day, Leunovskaia, was reached at 

 11.15 p.m. after a tiresome stage of 23 versts, which 

 occupied no less than five hours. 



We were travelling with two sledges, three horses in 

 our sledge and two in Piottuch's. 



