26 BIRDS OF RUSSIAN LAPLAND 



are most graceful birds. We only found two nests, a Shore-Lark's 

 and an Oyster-catcher's, each with two eggs. 



June 2 2nd. — Leaving " Novaya Zemlya " at lo a.m., we steamed 

 down to Litza fjord (Litsa on the chart), the head of which was 

 reached four hours later. This fjord is much more picturesque than 

 the Pechenga ; the passage winds somewhat, and is narrow in places, 

 with fine precipitous rocky bluffs rising several hundred feet above the 

 sea. All available pieces of low land are occupied by huts, most of 

 them built of turf. The valley, through which the river Litza flows 

 into the fjord, is a huge trough between two ranges of hills, the lower 

 portion of which has been filled up in parts with deposits of sand to a 

 height of 170 feet above the present sea-level. We saw these sand 

 deposits stretching for miles up the west side of the river, forming a 

 level plateau cut by ravines, where small brooks came down to the 

 main stream and had excavated V-shaped hollows 50 feet deep and 

 100 feet across. Rae's map shows a fair-sized lake in the course of 

 the Litza, so we rowed to the east bank to make inquiries respecting 

 it. After securing the boat to the snow-foot which covered the whole 

 of the river-bank, we went up to a group of huts ; the owner of the 

 only wooden one spoke a little Norsk, but could tell us nothing about 

 the lake. So, borrowing his boat to cross a side stream half a mile up, 

 we started to explore the east side of the valley. For a short distance 

 the country was dry and the birch had all been cut for fuel. Then 

 we came to a stretch of marsh in which grew a quantity of birch, some 

 of them twenty feet high. This wood was full of the songs of birds, 

 and we soon found nests of Redwings and Fieldfares. Plate 8 shows 

 one of the former containing six eggs. The snow here was quite a 

 foot deep, and where it had melted, the ground was mostly under 

 water — not pleasant walking. I expect the marsh dries in summer, 

 or the trees would not look so healthy. Blue-throats were singing on 

 all sides, and I shot specimens of Mealy Redpoll Linota linaria, Reed- 

 Bunting Emheriza schcenidus, and Willow-Wren ; in fact I never 

 remember any wood in the north where birds were so plentiful as 



