DINNER WITH THE SKOPTSI 445 



Russian government, Uleman said principally from the 

 neighbourhood of the iron mines near Ekaterinberg. 

 They told me there were formerly seven or eight hundred 

 of them, but that they were literally dying of starvation, 

 and they petitioned the Emperor to send them elsewhere, 

 to some region where they could cultivate the land and 

 grow vegetables. They were consequently sent to a 

 place near Yakutsk, where some thousands of these 

 amiable but misguided people now live. After breakfast 

 we spent some hours in the forest, then enjoyed the 

 luxury of a commodious Russian bath, and were after- 

 wards invited to dine. We had, of course, a fish dinner. 

 First a fish-pasty of tcheer, then sterlet, followed by a 

 refreshing dessert of preserved cranberries. A pint of 

 quass each completed a by no means despicable repast. 



In the forest birds were abundant; fieldfares and 

 redwings had fully-fledged young. I saw several three- 

 toed woodpeckers, and shot a Lapp-tit. Redpolls were 

 very numerous. The song of the Arctic willow- warbler 

 was continually to be heard, and occasionally that of the 

 common willow-warbler. The Siberian chiffchaff was 

 carefully tending its newly-fledged brood, and only its. 

 alarm-note was now to be heard. Martins were swarm- 

 ing like bees under the eaves of the houses, and a flock 

 of Siberian herring-gulls, mostly immature, were watch- 

 ing the fishing-boats. On the pebbly beach young and 

 old white wagtails were running about. I shot a young 

 bluethroat and a young redstart. The latter was a new 

 bird for my list. As in the Petchora I did not find it so 

 far north as the Arctic Circle. 



The forest behind Silovanoff was very luxuriant and 

 very picturesque, and I enjoyed my solitary rambles in 

 it beyond measure. Now and then I came to a charming 

 swamp abounding with waders, and ever and anon 



