PETCHORA 259 



April 15. 



We had keen frost during the night which ended on 

 Thursday, the 15th of April. Seebohm felt additional 

 comfort and warmth from a pair of my Shetland 

 stockings, pulling up above the knee. These are certainly 

 excellent for a sledge journey. My eyelids got fast 

 together for a second or so, but did not cause any 

 inconvenience. 



At Umskaia, in some tall bare larch-trees close to the 

 hut, we distinctly saw Snow Buntings, five or six in 

 number, fly from one tree to another, and alight, and this 

 repeatedly. To put all beyond a doubt I shot one from 

 the top of one of the trees with my stick-gun. We think 

 we remember some one * being severely criticised in the 

 ' Zoologist ' for mentioning the Snow Bunting's perching 

 habits. 



We found here only two horses ; and we have still two 

 long stages of 33 and 21 versts to Ust Zylma. At 

 10 a.m. Piottuch went off with the two in order to fore- 

 stall the post, and we arranged to follow with two others 

 which will have arrived and rested by that time. 



We shot here five Siberian Jays, four Bullfinches, five 

 or six Eedpolls, and a Snow Bunting. The note of the 

 Bullfinch here is louder and harsher than our birds, and 

 that of the Redpolls appeared more Greenfinch-like than 

 ours. 



Pushing on at twelve noon, we got horses more easily 

 than we expected at the next station. 



On our last stage we passed down a part of the Pet- 

 chorskai Pischma (not so treacherous as the other) on to 

 the Zylma River, and crossed the Great Petchora, I singing 

 aloud (roaring rather than warbling ! ) in the joy of my 

 heart, and Seebohm sitting higher out of his malitza, 

 adding an inch if not a cubit to his stature, as being 

 * Myself, I think, and as long ago as 1860 ! 



