504 TRAVELS OF A NATURALIST 



First the long line of sledges filed round and took up a 

 position at the base of the ridge below where we were 

 standing. When we arrived, several dogs were already 

 taking active part in enclosing the deer as they galloped 

 in a wide circle round the sledges, bolted across the ridge, 

 and again herded together in the other meadow, following 

 wherever the leading deer went, and seldom breaking 

 outside the charmed circle. If one or two deer attempted 

 to go off to the adjoining woods, the others then seemed 

 unwilling to follow, and the delinquents were soon herded 

 back by the dogs, all the more easily, perhaps, that they 

 were unwilling really to leave their fellows and venture 

 alone into the desert of forest and tundra. 



Here let me, en passant, take note of the Samoyedes' 

 dogs, second in value only to their reindeer. All we saw 

 to-day were white except one, which was quite black. 

 This latter appeared to belong to the sledge of the elder 

 brother, as it was tied to it, and seemed ill to brook the 

 restraint. Several of the others were also tied up, and 

 were, doubtless, the young and inexperienced ' doggies,' 

 not yet considered of mature enough age to join in the 

 herding of the deer. The white dogs were all alike in 

 appearance colour, dirty white ; hair, long and foxy ; tail, 

 curled upwards and drooping again over to one side; 

 face, foxy ; temper, apparently good, but they are also 

 apparently plucky if roused. I saw one at Habarika soon 

 drive off and punish an interloping Russian ' doggie,' but 

 this may, of course, be no proof of the bravery of the 

 whole race, though where a breed seems so unmixed an 

 accidental observation of this kind may be of more value. 



Dogs are seen in the Russian villages which have every 

 appearance of being crosses, and doubtless are so, but 

 at these chooms there were only the white and the 

 above-mentioned single black one, which, save in colour, 

 in every way resembled the others. Finally, both Seebohm 



