BIRDS OF RUSSIAN LAPLAND 8i 



practically clear. This caused trouble to the Russians ; a number of 

 boats being required for hours to watch the salmon nets and prevent 

 the ice floes sweeping them away. The men began to catch a few 

 salmon about this date ; they offered one of the first to us, but as 

 they asked ten roubles for a medium-sized fish no trade resulted. 



Jime gth. — One of the men brought on board a dead male Br amb- 

 ling in handsome spring plumage, which appeared to have died nearly 

 a week before from starvation, as its stomach contained no vestige of 

 food. The first Red-throated Pipit was seen this morning, near the 

 river. The Shore-Lark's nest found on the 5 th still had only four 

 eggs, showing the clutch to be complete. The bird remained on the 

 nest while we stood three feet off, and had commenced sitting, for one 

 egg showed the red embryo. 



June lOtJi. — The snow had now cleared off the land so much, 

 and the weather had been so warm and fine for some days, I decided 

 to make an attempt to reach Cape Kanin. We steamed through 

 thick fog all day until 6.30 p.m., when floating ice obliged us to lie-to 

 for some time. 



June 1 1 th. — The mate called me at 2 a.m. to say they had sighted 

 land. Going on deck I found the fog had cleared off and the Kanin 

 peninsula lay stretched along the horizon some twelve miles off. We 

 steamed in a s.E. direction till 6 a.m. when the land was only four miles 

 away, but much ice lay between us and it, and in fact all around ex- 

 cept in the direction whence we had come ; it was too thick to risk a 

 little iron vessel like the Expres in, and indeed whatever my ideas on 

 the subject might be. Captain Hansen had no intention of trying the 

 experiment. His nerves — never of the most robust order when in 

 unknown waters — had received a shock in Spitsbergen last year, 

 when the ice closed in on the Exjpres and broke the propeller ; but 

 fortunately the vessel was got to land, and after a week's work a new 

 propeller was fixed. 



The coast line at the point reached was broken up by a number of 

 ravines or gulleys ; it showed two distinct terraces in some parts, and 



