20 SIBERIA IN EUROPE. CHAP. in. 



reindeer, how he would select the four fleetest bull reindeer 

 from his herd, how he would always be at the head of the 

 party, how he would get plenty of vodka, how he would barter 

 his skins, and how he would take care not to be cheated 

 in the transaction. One of the Samoyedes told us that they 

 have a chief, residing in the Ural, who is answerable to 

 the Emperor for the annual tribute, and that at his death 

 his son succeeds him, unless he is thought not worthy to 

 be made king. In this case another chief is elected by 

 ballot, by putting pieces of wood into a " pimii" or boot. 

 It is right to note, however, that other Samoyedes whom 

 we questioned had never heard of this Ural chief. The 

 Samoyedes have no doctors, and use no medicinal plants, 

 nor do they employ any other medicines, unless the out- 

 ward application of goose or swan fat for frost bites may 

 rank as such. 



At Archangel we were fortunate enough to secure the 

 services of M. Piottuch, a Polish exile, whom we engaged 

 to go with us to the land of the Samoyedes in the double 

 capacity of interpreter and bird-skinner. He spoke Eussian 

 and bad French, and since Alston and Harvie-Brown's visit to 

 Archangel in 1872, he had spent a considerable part of his 

 leisure time in shooting and skinning birds. Accompanied 

 by Piottuch we made several excursions on snow shoes into 

 the neighbouring woods, but saw remarkably few birds. 

 Archangel contains a great number of sparrows; most of 

 the farmyards abounded with them. Once or twice we 

 identified a tree sparrow, but by far the greater number were 

 the common house sparrow, many of the males being in 



