BIRDS OF RUSSIAN LAPLAND 71 



impression on the hard granite-like rocks since it did so. Rivers do 

 not generally cut straight lines or right angles. 



A few Redwings were flying about disconsolately, for the birch 

 bushes which contained their last year's nests now had two or three 

 feet of snow round them. 



When going up we had had considerable trouble in crossing a side 

 stream, although we had selected a point where it was divided into 

 four or five separate channels. So on the return Kjeldsen suggested 

 we should keep on the higher ground, as he felt sure we should find 

 an easier way over there — very bad advice ! When you have a cer- 

 tainty, stick to it, and don't needlessly hunt for something better or 

 you may only fare worse, as we did. That stream took us the way we 

 did not want to go, over dreadfully bad country ; and the farther we 

 followed it up the hill, the broader and deeper it seemed to get. Large 

 stretches of boulders, similar to those described by Colonel Feilden 

 ("Beyond Petsora Eastward," p. 246), had their interstices full of 

 water, held up by snowdrifts below ; while others were covered with 

 snow, and water under, into which we continually slipped. On one of 

 these snow-covered areas I shot a male Willow-Grouse, a very hand- 

 some bird with large orange-vermilion wattles over his eyes, his head 

 and neck a rich russet brown down to the shoulders, lightly pencilled 

 on the upper parts with black, about a dozen dark brown feathers on 

 the back, tail feathers sooty brown, edged with white, and the re- 

 mainder of his body and wings pure white ; feet fully feathered (as 

 shown in Mr. Dresser's "Birds of Europe," Plate 485, October i8th, 

 only more so). I hit his companion — male or female I cannot say, 

 probably the former, as plumage was identical — but without a dog it 

 was impossible to retrieve a bird showing so much white on those 

 snow wastes. After about two miles of this kind of work I had 

 decided to return to the place I knew we could cross, but waited to 

 watch Kjeldsen, some 300 yards ahead, making a final effort and 

 wading through snow-slush up to his knees ; suddenly he floundered 

 in to his waist, then struggled on till he reached dry land, and sat 



