A SUMMER ON THE YENESEI 193 



which had evidently been perplexing him all day. 

 Were there geese in England ? If so, why did I come 

 up the Golchika to look for their eggs ? If not, what 

 sort of a country could it be ? I therefore gave him a 

 succinct discourse on the migration of birds, which is 

 probably the shortest lecture that has ever been 

 delivered on the subject. Translated from the original 

 pidgin-Russ, it ran something as follows : 



In summer — weather warm — geese plenty to eat 

 — eggs and little geese at Golchika. 



In winter — iveather very cold — ice on river — 

 geese go to England to eat. 



A promising piece of marsh lay in front of the 

 mound where we were resting, and this time Sylkin 

 went bird's-nesting also. He beat Vassilli hollow at the 

 work. This was partly because Vassilli cared nothing 

 for either eggs or birds unless he could turn them into 

 either an omelette or a stew afterwards. Presently he 

 put up a willow-grouse. The bird feigned a broken 

 wing, and Vassilli, falling into the trap, instead of shoot- 

 ing her at once, followed her as she dodged through the 

 whortle bushes. When she had decoyed him for a 

 certain distance, she sprang up out of shot, and boomed 

 away unhurt, while Sylkin roared with laughter at 

 Vassilli's sheepish face. The bird had been sitting 

 upon eleven hard-set eggs. The nest was exactly like 

 that of a partridge, being a mere hollow scratched in 

 the ground. While I went back to the canoe to fetch 

 my camera, Vassilli tried to revenge himself on the 

 grouse for having fooled him, but she was wise, and did 

 not return. Meanwhile Sylkin had found ii little 

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