CHAP. I. 'PURCHAS HISPILGRIMES.' 3 



In 1872 my friend John A. Harvie-Brown accompanied 

 E. Alston on an ornithological expedition to Archangel, the 

 results of which were published in the ' Ibis ' for January, 

 1873 ; and in 1874, 1 went with Eobert Collett of Christiania 

 to the north of Norway. Neither of these journeys added 

 any very important fact to the stock of ornithological know- 

 ledge ; but in each case they considerably increased our 

 interest in Arctic ornithology, and gave us a knowledge of 

 the notes and habits of many Arctic birds which was of 

 invaluable assistance to us on our subsequent joiirneys. The 

 difference between the birds found at Archangel and those 

 at the north of Norway was so striking that we, as well as 

 many of our ornithological friends, were convinced that 

 another ten degrees east would bring us to the breeding- 

 ground of many species new to North Europe ; and there was 

 a chance, besides, that among these might be found some 

 of the half-dozen birds which I have named, the discovery 

 of whose breeding-haunts was the special object of our 

 ambition. 



My friend Harvie-Brown had been collecting information 

 about the river Petchora for some time, and it was finally 

 arranged that we should spend the summer of 1875 there 

 together. We were under the impression that, ornithologi- 

 cally speaking, it was virgin ground, but in this we afterwards 

 discovered that we were mistaken. So far as we were able to 

 ascertain, no Englishman had travelled from Archangel to the 

 Petchora for 250 years. In that curious old book called 

 'Purchas his Pilgrimes,' published, in 1625, may be found 

 the narrative of divers merchants and mariners who visited 



