72 BIRDS OF RUSSIAN LAPLAND 



down to remove his boots and lower garments. He was over, and 

 where he had gone we must follow. Deadly cold, that snow and 

 water were. Still, after wringing out our stockings, &c., and walking 

 sharply for a mile or two, we felt no serious discomfort. 



We now made for the highest part of the fell, and found fairly 

 good walking most of the way back. On one of the high points (600 

 feet above sea-level) Hetley sighted a pair of Ptarmigan, and secured 

 the female, I getting the male. The latter was yet almost white ; the 

 upper part of his head had moulted into summer plumage, except 

 some dozen feathers, which looked like small snow-flakes resting 

 there ; throat white ; a few dark feathers on the upper neck and 

 back ; thirteen black tail feathers, some of them tipped with white ; 

 and an orange-vermilion wattle over the eyes, not so fully developed 

 as in the Willow-Grouse shot shortly before. The female was much 

 more advanced in her moult, only retaining the white on the under 

 parts and the outer wing feathers, both of which would be concealed 

 when she was sitting. (Her plumage is well represented on Plate 478, 

 Dresser's " Birds of Europe," except that in the latter the under parts 

 are whiter and the back darker in tone.) This species had not been 

 seen in the district when we were here in 1895. 



During the walk we saw Geese — first three, then two, and one ; 

 only the last showed any sign of beginning to nest, as it circled round 

 once or twice ; the others went straight away. Much of the ground 

 crossed seemed suitable for their nesting. The only other birds seen 

 during the day, not mentioned before, were a few Meadow-Pipits, one 

 or two White Wagtails on the fells, and some Golden Plover. We 

 regained the ship at i o p.m., and were glad of dry things and dinner 

 after our twelve hours' tramp. 



June dflh. — As the morning was bright and sunny, I landed at 

 noon to take some photographs in the village, one of which is repre- 

 sented in Plate 28. The sledge here depicted is much more highly 

 finished and ornate than those in ordinary use, and is evidently re- 

 served for the family in travelling from their winter to their summer 



