^24 SLEDGING TO UST-ZYLMA 



Pinega, the river was flowing through a strip of open 

 country. In several places it was free from ice, and on 

 two occasions we saw ducks swimming upon the open 

 water. About thirty versts before reaching Mez6n we 

 crossed an immense plain of snow, as flat as a lake, 

 extending east and west as far as the eye could reach. In 

 almost every instance the flat plains were destitute of 

 trees, being no doubt swamps or marshes, too wet for 

 timber to grow in, whilst the hills were invariably covered 

 with forests. We found that the roads were always deep 

 in the forests. Our horses had firm footing, but the out- 

 riggers of the sledge " scrunched " unpleasantly. In the 

 open plains the sides of the road were low, any deep 

 tracks which might have been made being no doubt soon 

 filled up again by the drifting snow, and we got on at a 

 rapid pace so long as the snow did not give way under 

 the horses' feet. The forests were principally spruce fir, 

 and very spruce these fir-trees looked, as if they had just 

 been combed and brushed, in striking contrast to the 

 haggard larches, whose leafless branches were clothed 

 with black and grey lichen like a suit of rags, and were 

 torn and twisted by the winds into wild fantastic shapes, 

 reminding one of a sketch by Gustave Dord, In many 

 places birches and Scotch fir were common, and occasion- 

 ally we saw a few willows. There were very few birds. 

 The hooded crow was the commonest, principally close 

 to the villages. Now and then we saw a jackdaw or a 

 raven, or a pair of magpies. As we proceeded farther 

 east, sparrows became less plentiful, but we noticed both 

 species, the house and the tree sparrow. Soon after 

 leaving Archangel we met with a flock of snow-buntings, 

 and they gradually became more frequent as we neared 

 Mezen, especially on the rivers. They seemed to be 

 slowly migrating northwards, following the course of the 



