the Birds of the Lower Petchora. 441 
tundra, and had covered a considerable extent of country. 
According to their account, extracted by much cross-question- 
ing, with and without Piottuch’s assistance, they had been 
away towards the south-west and had seen a great lake near 
the sources of the Hevka and Erisvanka rivers. They said 
they had walked a distance of twenty-five to thirty versts— 
which, upon the North-Russian tundra, is equivalent at least 
to as many miles on a Yorkshire moor. They had seen nine 
Swans, ‘all of the small kind,” at the edge of the big lake, 
and had succeeded in stalking up to within thirty paces of 
them. On being slightly alarmed the Swans swam close up 
together and stretched up their necks. Simeon and Feodor 
both aimed; but Feodor’s “ pooshka”’ (literally cannon) re- 
fused to go off. Feodor therefore was left disconsolate; but 
Simeon succeeded in shooting one. Afterwards we saw 
several Swans at Dvoinik, and the footprints of others on the 
damp sand or mud. The measurements of these latter agreed 
with the specimen procured, the middle toe of which is nearly 
one inch shorter than that of the larger species. We con- 
sider that Bewick’s Swan is not uncommon on the delta of 
the Petchora, but, from what we have seen, that its distribu- 
tion there does not extend so far up the river in the breeding- 
season as that of the Hooper, but that both species pass Ust 
Zylma on migration, though of this last we cannot, of course, 
speak positively. 
ANSER SEGETUM (Gm.). 
The Bean-Goose arrived at Ust Zylma on the 10th May. 
Small parties and sometimes large flocks continued to fre- 
_ quent the neighbourhood wherever there was any open water 
until the ice and snow had all disappeared, when the Geese 
disappeared also. At Kuya, on the 19th June, we got eggs 
of the Bean-Goose considerably incubated. At Alexievka 
we not unfrequently found their nests concealed in the long 
grass on some hillock or islet on the banks of the lakes on 
the tundra, and we secured a number of eggs. We did not 
find any of their nests on the islands of the delta. The Bean- 
Goose is an early breeder, and doubtless makes its nest on 










