ARRIVAL AT MEZEN 25 



rivers, where there was always a chance of their finding 

 some open water. Not far from Pinega we got out of the 

 sledge to chase a pair of great spotted woodpeckers, and 

 succeeded in shooting the female. We also saw a pair of 

 Siberian jays, but, not being provided with snow-shoes, 

 we found it was no use attempting to follow the birds into 

 the forests through the deep snow. Soon after leaving 

 Pinega we saw a bird sitting on a cliff, and after a short 

 chase shot it, and found it to be a common crossbill, a 

 bird which, curiously enough, we did not meet with 

 afterwards. A stage or two before reaching Mezdn we 

 saw a second pair of Siberian jays, and surprised a fine 

 male capercailzie not far from the road. 



At Pinega we found a party of Samoyedes from Kanin, 

 with about twenty sledges, and we passed a larger party 

 about halfway to Mezdn. We met with no difficulties. 

 Once or twice, on our arrival at a station during the 

 night, we were told that there were no horses to be had, 

 that they were all out ; but on the presentation of the 

 "Crown Padarozhnayas," with which General Timarsheff 

 (the Minister of the Interior at St. Petersburg) had 

 kindly provided us, horses were forthcoming at once. 

 W^e paid for five horses on one occasion when we had 

 only four, and at Pinega the station-master tried to make 

 us take six, but our obstinate refusal to do so, lest it 

 should become a precedent in future, prevailed. 



We reached Mez^n on the loth of April, and spent an 

 interesting day in this frontier town. The Ispravnik, to 

 whom we had letters from the Governor of Archangel, 

 called upon us and invited us to take tea at his house. He 

 spoke a smattering of French, but had asked a Polish 

 exile of the name of Bronza to meet us as interpreter. 

 M. Bronza spoke German, and we endeavoured to get 

 some information from him about the Samoyedes ; but he 



