COST OF PROVISIONS 95 



It is a curious fact that the clay following, on returning- 

 to the spot where we had seen and shot so many various 

 birds, we found it deserted ; there was nothing but 

 willow-warblers on it. Red-throated pipits passed over 

 singly and in flocks, but none seemed disposed to alight. 

 In a plantation hard by we heard a chaffinch sing, but 

 we did not get a shot at it. We fell in there with a 

 small flock of bramblings, and secured a male that was 

 not yet in full breeding plumage. On the following day 

 a thick mist came up the Petchora, which cleared up 

 about noon, and was followed by a north-west breeze 

 with gleams of sunshine and threatenings of rain. Birds 

 were few and sang little, the note of the warblers being 

 almost the only one we heard. We had an excellent 

 opportunity of identifying a white-tailed eagle, which 

 came almost within shot of us. Two cranes (Grus com- 

 munis, Bechst.) passed over us, and I recognised them 

 as birds I had seen two or three days before. By this 

 time all the hooded crows and magpies had gone into 

 the woods to breed, and the town was deserted by them, 

 During the week there had apparently been an arrival 

 of house-sparrows in Ust-Zylma, for they abounded in 

 Znaminski's yard. Strangely enough, we could not 

 meet with any in other parts of the town. 



On the 26th the weather changed. A cold north-east 

 wind blew, and it was a day unpropitious for bird-shooting. 

 So little did we anticipate meeting with any, that we 

 spent the morning in buying provisions for our journey. 

 It may be useful to record the prices we paid : 



Salt beef 1.70 rouble per poud (id. per lb.). 

 Butter 6.50 roubles ,, (4^. ,, ). 

 Tea 2 ,, per lb. (55. ,, ). 



Coffee .55 rouble ,, (is. ^d. ,, ). 



We also bought a nvelma, or white salmon, for our 



