46 BIRDS OF RUSSIAN LAPLAND 



A good fire of birchwood soon warmed the old place — it had been built 

 by his grandfather more than a hundred years ago — and brought out 

 many ancient odours. The fireplace was formed by two large slabs 

 of stone in one corner, and the light from the flames playing on the 

 smoke-stained old timbers produced effects of colour that required 

 the brush of a Rembrandt to do justice to them. Plate 17 shows the 

 exterior of this refuge, from which it will be seen that the house 

 (measuring 14 feet by 10 feet) was not intended to stand upright in; 

 a broad bench occupied one side and one end, where the family sat 

 and slept. The hut to the right in the picture — in much better 

 repair — was filled with fishing nets and other gear. Ivan said he 

 had seven of these residences scattered over the district at various 

 fishing stations. I asked if he had a wife for each house, whereon he 

 grinned and seemed to consider one was enough to be blessed with at 

 once. His present one is his second venture on the sometimes thorny 

 road of matrimony. 



On reaching the huts, a Wheatear flew up from near a large log ; 

 so, thinking the nest was underneath, I rolled the log over, but no 

 nest was there. An hour after, a speck of blue in a hole in the centre 

 of the log caught my brother's eye leading to the discovery of seven 

 eggs, none of which had been broken by their rolling. 



As soon as the rain settled down to a steady drizzle we started 

 in a leaky apology for a boat to explore the islands. The Whooper 

 Swans were again occupying the nest Ivan had found on his former 

 visit, a conical mound two feet high, on the extreme point of the 

 largest island, and composed of quite a cartload of moss, &c. As it 

 contained only two eggs, I left them till another day in hope of a 

 better light for photographing, and further additions to the number. 

 Both birds were near that end of the island when we first arrived, but 

 soon went down towards the river, and we saw them no more that day. 

 July sth. — As the rain still continued, we stopped in camp till 

 7 p.m. clearing up arrears ; and then went up the west side of our 

 own lake. The nests found were a Mealy Redpoll's, with five incubated 



