PETCHORA 291 



across in its place. A hole is dug underneath the trap, 

 so that when the animal puts its foot on any part of the 

 net, the ' catch ' (attached to the net and held by the 

 ' link ' over the set ' jaw ') is released, and the jaws fly up 

 as in ours. It is used for foxes, and also for otters, and, 

 I think, for the latter animal, is certainly an improvement 

 upon our common stamp. Otters with us are generally 

 caught by the toes, and they sometimes manage to escape 

 or gnaw through the tendons ; but this trap would seize 

 them high up the leg or across the chest and shoulders, 

 and then they could not struggle at all. It will be well 

 worth while to have one made for the otters in the Carron 

 at home, where we catch many. 



After dinner we went with M. Arendt to witness the 

 ceremony of marriage in the Eussian Orthodox church. 

 A number of peasants were present, men, women, and 

 children, dressed in their holiday attire, and a few of the 

 women wore rather handsome silver ear-rings similar to 

 some we saw at Archangel. To one of the pendants of 

 the ear-rings a string of differently-coloured glass beads 

 was attached, and then passed over the collar of the 

 'malitza' and round the neck, from which it was of 

 course lost to our view. 



The bride wore a head-dress woven with silver 

 tissue, the bridegroom simply his usual dress as far 

 as was visible, the universal malitza. The brother of 

 the bride or bridegroom, or the bridegroom's 'best 

 man ' (I cannot say which), wore a schoub with a 

 ' favour ' of red coarse cloth on his right shoulder, and 

 the father and mother appeared to be in their ordinary 

 costume. 



When the bride and bridegroom came, the space 

 opposite the altar was cleared for them in the outer 

 chamber, and they knelt down and bowed their heads 

 to the ground thrice (the bride having her head and face 



