Siberia in Europe: a visit to the Valley of the Petchora in North-East Russia; with descriptions of the natural history, migration of birds, etc. With map and illustrations

Preface

. The following pages contain the narrative of a trip, which I made in the year 1875, to the lower valley of the Petchora, in North-East Russia, in company with my friend J. A. Harvie-Brown, Esq., of Dunipace, a naturalist well known in ornithological circles for excellent field-work in various parts of Scotland, in Archangel, and in Transylvania. I have endeavoured to pourtray the character of the people with whom we came in contact with as little political or religious bias as possible, and to give as vivid a picture as I was able of a country widely different from our own, and possessing a climate of an almost opposite character to that of England. Little or nothing of importance has been added since my return home. I have given the reader credit for wishing to know something more of the birds we met with than we learnt on our trip, and I have endeavoured to give him an opportunity of satisfying his curiosity by foot-notes, to which he may refer or

PREFACE.

. VI not as he likes. In some cases I have been obliged to correct errors of identification which we occasionally made ; and I have introduced a chapter on the migration of birds, but inasmuch as this was princi pally written upon the island of Heligoland, it can scarcely be looked upon as padding. Whatever merit the book may possess will doubtless be owing to the fact that it was for the most part written upon the spot. It is a faithful tran script of a stranger's first impressions of a part of Europe seldom or never visited by Englishmen, written at post stations whilst the horses were being changed, or in peasants' cottages, wrecked ships, or wherever our temporary quarters may have been. The accuracy which ornithological observa tions demand, made it imperatively necessary that what was seen should be at once recorded, and many a time eighteen or twenty hours' field-work have been followed by two or three hours' writing before we allowed ourselves rest.

The general reader may perhaps complain that the book is too ornithological ; but he must remember that an enthusiasm of some sort is necessary to lead the traveller into scenes where no hotels exist, where unknown difficulties have to be met, and which are absolutely virgin ground to the tourist. The writer also ventures to

PREFACE.

. VII hope that the ornithological part of his little work may also interest the general reader. However dry the technical part ofthe subject may be considered, the study of Field Ornithology is a branch of Natural History which has alwa}Ts been a great favourite with Englishmen. Foreign writers may have pro duced more scientific works upon the subject ; but the peculiarity of English ornithological research has been that, to a large extent, it is the work of amateurs, who make it a labour of love, whilst on the Continent most ornithological writers have been professional men connected with the various mu seums. An English ornithologist often begins by being a sportsman and ends by being a naturalist ; and if closet natural history has been until perhaps quite recently carried to a higher point of scientific accuracy in Holland, Germany, and France, the British ornithologists, both of our own Islands and in India, have done the best field-work.

The results of our visit to this ultima Thule of Europe must be taken for what they are worth. We had no hair-breadth escapes to record, and our adventures may appear somewhat tame to a member of the Alpine Club ; but the conditions of life in Siberia in Europe are so entirely different to those observed by the ordinary tourist, that our travels

PREFACE.

. have at least the charm of novelty. It is true that we had to put up sometimes with hardships, but the recollection even of them is one of unmixed pleasure. Would that the narrative of our success might stimulate some of our junior ornithologists to follow in our steps. Much yet remains to be done. It is absurd to suppose that the ornithology of such a wide district could be exhausted in a single trip. Our information about those curious people, the Samoyedes, must be considered as only supple mentary to, and confirmatory of, the account con tained in Rae's ' Land of the North Wind,' or the more elaborate observations of Castre'n and Schrenck. We neither of us make any claim to a scientific knowledge of ethnology, and the information on the subject contained in the following pages is merely such as interested us as tourists, and which, together with the greater portion of our ornithological observations, may prove interesting to the general reader.

CONTENTS. CHAPTEE I, John Wolley — Unknown breeding-grounds — Birds of Archangel and Lapland — -Voyages to the Petchora in the seventeenth century — Schrenck's visit in 1837 — Castren's visit in 1842 — Keyserling's visit in 1843 — Pelzam's visit in 1874 — Hoffmansegg's visit about 1850 — Outfit — Letters of introduction .. .. .. .. .. Page 1

Chapter II

London to St. Petersburg — Mode of heating railway carriages — Frozen Market at St. Petersburg — Bohemian waxwings — Moscow to Vologda — M. Verakin — Sledging from Vologda to Archangel — The Yemschik — Post-houses — -The Samovar — Angliski Russ — Modes of yoking horses — State of the roads — Weather — Traffic — Scenery — Birds — Arrival at Archangel.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 7

Chapter III

The white city Archangel — Decline of its commerce —Cheapness of living — Peter Kotzoff — Father Inokentia — Samoyede vocabulary — Their sledges — Their appearance — Samoyede names of birds — Their national songs — Election of their chiefs — Their ignorance of doctors or medicinal plants — Piottuch — Birds — The weather — Hasty departure from Archangel .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 15

Chapter IV

Bad roads — -Postal service in winter and summer — Changeable weather — Scenery — Pinega and Kuloi rivers — Snow plains — The forests — Birds — -Samoyedes — Mezen— Polish exile — Snow-buntings — How caught — Jackdaws — We leave Mezen — The weather — Scenery — The Mezen X CONTENTS. river — The Pizhma — The roads — Piottuch's accident — The Via diabolica — Bolshanivagorskia — Break-up of the road — Polish prejudices — The villages — Curiosity of the peasants — Greek crosses — Love of ornament — Employment and amusements- — Samoyedes — Birds — Umskia — First view of the Petchora — Arrival at Ust-Zylma. Page 23

Chapter V

Ust-Zylma — Its streets — Its houses — Its manure — Its population — Its farms* — Its churches — Our quarters — The banks of the river — The Old Believers — Their superstitions — Their crosses — Hospitality of the officials — Shooting-parties — Captain Arendt and Captain Engel — Snow shoes — Scarcity of birds — The snow-bunting — Mealy redpole — Winter 40

Chapter VI

The Samoyedes — Reindeer — The tundra — Nomad life— Diseases of reindeer — Samoyede national character — Trip to Umskia — Bad roads — Birds — Easter Eve — Drunkenness — Snow — Our first bird's-nest — L'autre cote — Birds .. .. .. .. .. .. 54

Chapter VII

Trip to Habariki — Samoyedes — Lassoing reindeer — Dogs — Birds— Samoyede sledges — Reindeer harness — The chooms — Samoyede hospitality — Marriage ceremonies — Funeral rites — Religion .. .. 63

Chapter VIII

May-day — Snow-buntings — Jackdaws — Game — Birds of prey — Sunday at Ust-Zylma — A fire — Marriage ceremony — Tenure of land — The commune — Preparations for summer .. .. .. .. 78

Chapter IX

Mild weather — Bear tracks — Saddle of bear — First rain — Six new migratory birds — Magpie's eggs — Cessation of the winter frost— Return of winter — A wild goose chase — Cachets — Night on the banks of the Petchora — The silent forest — A new bird .. .. .. CONTENTS. XI

Chapter X

Gulls — Species new to Europe — Fresh arrivals — Duck-shooting — Bird-life in the forest — Gulls perching in trees — Break-up of the ice on the Zylma — On the wrong bank of tho river — Dragging the boats across the ice — Final break-up of the ice on the Petchora .. Page 98

Chapter XI

Religious processions — Costumes of the peasants — A Russian holiday — Drunkenness — Prejudices of the Old Believers — Field-work — House-building — New birds — The Siberian chiff-chaff — Prices of provisions — Arrival of waders.. .. .. .. .. .. .. 113

Chapter XII

Samoj-ede names — The Swedish mocking-bird — Toads — Birds resting on migration — Sparrow-hawk- — The Petchora free from ice — A new song — Ceremony of blessing the steamer — Rambles in the woods — Arrival of the mosquitoes.. .. .. .. .. .. .. 124

Chapter XIII

Trip to Habariki — Forest scenery — Tarns in the woods — Changeable weather — New birds identified in the forest — Golden eagle — Osprey — The hobby — The cuckoo — Yellow-headed wagtail — Bohemian waxwing — Great snipe — Terek sandpiper — Goosander — Smew — Black-throated diver .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 136

Chapter XIV

Return to Ust-Zylma — Wedding of the engineer's son — Scarlet bullfinch — Last days at Ust-Zylma — Our boat — We sail to Habariki — Birds' eggs — Smew's eggs — Snipes in trees — Down the Petchora — Sedge warbler — Black-cock — Arctic tern — Willow swamps — We cross the Arctic Circle — A new bird — Arrival at Viski — The delta — Double snipe — Pustazursk — The tundia — Arrival at Alexievka .. .. CONTENTS. XII

Chapter XV

Alexievka — The timber rafts — The island — Nest and eggs — Buffon's skua — Sailing for the tundra — Description of the tundra — Its vegetation — Nests of Lapland bunting and red-throated pipit — First sight of the grey plover — Its nest — Watching by the nest — Shot at last — Omelette of grey plover's eggs — Birds seen on the tundra — Eggs collected during the day — Blowing eggs — Nest of the Petchora pipit .. Page 174

Chapter XVI

The tundra near the Yooshina river — Golden plover's eggs — Various nests — Lapland bunting — -Various birds — Richardson's skua — Various means of propelling our boat — The tundra near Stanavialachta — Eyrie of a peregrine falcon — Various nests — Abundance of willow grouse — Nest of the willow grouse — Visit to two islands in the delta . . 186

Chapter XVII

Examination of nests — Excursion to Wasilkova — Search for breeding haunts of Bewick's swan — News from England — Grey plover's eggs — Flock of Buffon's skuas — Black scoter's nest — Watching for skuas' nests — Another nest of grey plovers — Scaup's eggs — The Zyriani .. 194

Chapter XVIII

Second visit to Stanavialachta — Peregrine falcons — Plague of mosquitoes — Midnight on the tundra — Nest of the velvet scoter — Little Feodor sent in quest of the swan's skin — A Russian bath — Feodor's return — Identification of eggs of Bewick's swan — Mosquito veils — Our eighth nest of grey plovers — Our servants — Our ninth nest of grey plovers — The tenth nest.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 208

Chapter XIX

Trip to the Golievski Islands — Shoal of white whales — Glaucous gulls — Dunlins and sanderlings — Black scoter — Dvoinik — Little stint — Curlew sandpiper — Snow-bunting — Overhauling our plunder — The Company's manager — Discussions concerning the stints — Probable line of migration followed by birds .. .. .. .. ,, ._ CONTENTS. XIII

Chapter XX

Hybernation of birds — Migration of birds — R eed* warblers — Origin of migration — Transvaal warblers — The mammoth age — Insect life — Lines of migration — Heligoland — Its ornithologists — Variety of birds — Wind and weather — The throstle-bushes — Migration by sight — Order of migration — Stray migrants — The yellow-browed warbler — Migration on Heligoland — Skylarks — Migratory instincts — Other facts of migration .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Page 242

Chapter XXI

Trip to Kuya — The prahms — Travelling in a Rosposki — The birds we saw — Arrival of the Triad at Alexievka — We win over the manager — The Ino — Doing Robinson Crusoe in a wrecked ship — Nest of the long-tailed duck — Our first little stint's nest — The tundra — Sunset and sunrise — Little stint's eggs — The tundra near Bolvanski Bucht — Phalaropes — Interior of the tundra — Change of plumage in phalaropes — An early morning start — Confusion of time — The snowy owl — Two more nests of the little stint — A march of geese on the tundra — An old grave .. 262

Chapter XXII

On short commons — Bad weather — A foraging party — Eussian superstitions — Return of the steamer — Beautiful flowers — Arrival at Alexievka — Departure for home — Thunder-storm — Waterspout — Sea-birds — Hard fare — Copenhagen — Results of the trip .. .. .. 284

Chapter XXIII

Summary of the trip — Summer in the Arctic regions — Circumpolar birds — Birds confined to the eastern hemisphere — Various ranges of birds — Migration of birds — -Dates of arrival — Probable route — ■ Conclusion .. -. .. .. .. .. .. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE Grey Plo*vbr .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1 Old Russian Silver Cross .. .. .. .. .. 6 Sledging through the Snow .. .. .. .. .. 7 Samoyede Knives .. ,. .. .. .. .. 14 Little Stints .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 15 Old Russian Silver Cross .. .. .. .. .. 22 Ust-Zylma .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 93 Z6 Old Russian Silver Cross .. .. .. .. .. 39 Ancient Church of the Old Believers .. .. .. 40 Chooms of the Samoyedes .. .. .. .. .. 54 Lassoing Reindeer.. .. .. .. .. .. .. 63 Rein Rests .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 70 Old Russiak Silver Cross .. .. .. .. .. 77 A Spill in the Snow .. .. .. .. .. .. 73 Old Russian Silver Cross .. .. .. .. .. 87 Shooting Wild Geese .. .. .. .. ., .. gg The Banks of the Zylma .. .. .. .. .. 98 Old Russian Silver Cross .. .. ., .. .. 112 Difficulties with Snow-shoes .. .. .. .. .. 113 Old Russian Silver Cross .. .. .. .. .. 123 Willow Grouse .. ., .. .. .. ,, .. 124 Old Russian Silver Cross .. .. .. .. ., 135 The flooded Banks of the River .. .. ,. ,. 136 Old Russian Silver Cross .. .. .. ,. ., 151 Sailing down the Delta.. .. .. .. ., .. 152 Ploughing at Ust-Zylma .. .. ., .. ..

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. XV PAGE Alexievka from the Tundra .. .. .. .. .. 174 Old Russian Silver Cross .. .. .. .. .. 185 Stanavialachta .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 186 Old Russian Silver Cross .. .. .. .. .. 193 Grey Plover's Nest and Young .. .. .. .. 194 A Swan's Nest .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 197 Old Russian Silver Cross .. .. .. .. .. 207 Kuya 208 Watching Grey Plovers through a cloud of Mosquitoes 211 Mosquito Veil .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 225 Little Stint's Nest, Eggs and Young.. .. .. .. 226 Old Russian Silver Cross .. .. .. .. .. 241 The Lighthouse at Heligoland on a Migration Night .. 242 View of Heligoland .. .. .. .. .. .. 259 Old Russian Silver Cross .. .. .. .. .. 261 Doing Robinson Crusoe at Dvoinik .. .. .. .. 262 Old Russian Silver Cross .. .. .. .. .. 283 Migration of Geese .. .. .. .. .. .. 284 Old Russian Silver Cross .. .. .. .. .. 293 From Mekitza to Kuya on a Rosposki .. .. .. 294 Our Headquarters at Ust-Zylma .. .. .. .. 303 MAP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . at the end. 'LD EUSSIAN SILVER CROSS. grey plover. SIBERIA IN EUROPE

Chapter I

John Wolley — Unknown breeding-grounds — Birds of Archangel and Lapland — Voyages to the Petchora in the seventeenth century — Schrenck's visit in 1S37 — Castren's visit in 18+2 — Keyserling's visit in 1843 — Pelzam's visit in 1874 — Hoffmansegg's visit about 1850 — Outfit — Letters of introduction. The history of British birds has been enthusiastically studied by ornithologists during the last half-century. In spring and autumn several species of birds annually visit our shores in considerable numbers, passing us in their migrations to and from unknown breeding-grounds. These migrations, and the geographical distribution of birds, have of late years B CHAP. I. occupied a large share of the attention of ornithologists. The name of John Wolley stands pre-eminent amongst the discoverers in this department of science.

His indefatigable labours in Lapland about twenty years ago are still fresh in the memory of the present generation of ornithologists, who will never cease to regret his untimely death. Notwith standing his researches, there remained half-a-dozen well known British birds whose breeding-grounds still con tinued wrapt in mystery, to solve which has been the ambition of many field naturalists during the past twentv years. These birds, to the discovery of whose eggs special interest seemed to attach, were the Grey Plover, the Little Stint, the Sanderling, the Curlew Sandpiper, the Knot,* and Bewick's Swan. * The Knot (Tringa canutus, Linn.) was the only one of these six species of birds which we did not meet with in the valley of the Petchora. It pro bably breeds on the shores of the Polar basin in both hemispheres, but its eggs are absolutely unknown.

On several of the Arctic expeditions the knot has been observed during the breeding season, but no eggs were obtained. Captain Fielden writes (Nares' 'Voyage to the Polar Sea,' Appendix, vol. ii. p. 212) : " During the month of July my companions and I often endea voured to discover the nest of this bird ; but none of us were successful. However, on July 30, 1876, the day before we broke out of our winter quarters [in lat. 82J°], where we had been frozen in eleven months, three of our seamen, w*alking by the border of a small lake not far from the ship, came upon an old bird accompanied bv three nestlings, which they brought to me. The old bird proved to be a male ; its stomach and those of the young ones were filled with insects. . . . The knot bred in the vicinity of Discovers* Bay, but no eggs were found there, though the young were obtained in all stages of plumage."

During the winter the knot is almost cosmopolitan in its range. It is exceedinglv common on the shores of Great Britain, and is more or less frequentlv obtained in various parts of Europe, Africa, South Asia, and even in Australia and New Zealand. On the American continent it is found on both coasts, occasionally straying as far as the South American shores. CHAP. I. ' PURCHAS HIS PILGRIMES." 3 In 1872 my friend John A. Harvie-Brown accompanied B. Alston on an ornithological expedition to Archangel, the results of which were published in the ' Ibis ' for January, 1873 ; and in 1874, 1 went with Robert Collett of Christiania to the north of Norway. Neither of these journeys added any very important fact to the stock of ornithological knowledge ; but in each case they considerably increased our interest in Arctic ornithology, and gave us a knowledge of the notes and habits of many Arctic birds which was of invaluable assistance to us on our subsequent journeys.

The difference between the birds found at Archangel and those at the north of Norway was so striking that we, as well as many of our ornithological friends, were convinced that auother ten degrees east would bring us to the breeding-ground of many species new to North Europe; and there was a chance, besides, that among these might be found some of the half-dozen birds which I have named, the discovery of whose breeding-haunts was the special object of our ambition. My friend Harvie-Brown had been collecting information about the river Petchora for some time, and it was finally arranged that we should spend the summer of 1875 there together. We were under the impression that, ornithologi cally speaking, it was virgin ground, but in this we afterwards discovered that we were mistaken. So far as we were able to ascertain, no Englishman had travelled from Archangel to the Petchora for 250 years.

In that curious old book called - Purchas his Pilgrimes,' published in 1625, may be found the narrative of divers merchants and mariners who visited SIBERIA IN EUROPE. CHAP. I. 4 this river between the years 1611 and 1615 for the purpose of establishing a trade there in furs and skins, especially beaver, for which Ust-Zylma on the Petchora was at that time celebrated. In 1837 Alexander Gustav Schrenck visited the Petchora under the auspices of the Imperial Botanical Gardens at St. Petersburg, and published voluminous information respecting the botany and the ethnology of this district. In 1812 Castren was sent out by the Swedish Government and collected much valuable information about the Samoyedes and the other races of North-East Russia. The following year, Paul von Krusenstern and Alexander Graf Keyserling visited the Petchora, and published an important work upon the geology and physical geography of the country, but none of these travellers seem to have written anything upon the subject of birds beyond a mere passing mention of ducks and geese.

In St. Petersburg we learnt that Dr. Pelzam, from the museum at Kazan, visited the Petchora in 1874, but from information we obtained on that river, it would appear that he spent most of his time in dredging and paid little attention to birds. In Archangel we made a more important discovery. We there met the man who had been guide to Hencke and Hoffmansegg some twenty or five-and-twenty years ago. Erom him we learnt that those naturalists had spent a year or more on the Petchora, had there collected birds and eggs, and had been very successful in finding all that they were in search of. We cannot, however, learn that these gentlemen published anything respecting the birds of the Petchora. They seem to have collected chiefly as a OUR OUTFIT. CHAP. I. 5 commercial speculation, and to have sent their spoils to a dealer in Dresden, through whom some rare eggs, doubtless from this district, found their way to Mr. Dunn, of Orkney, and were subsequently distributed amongst English collectors.

In consequence of the trade jealousy of the dealers these eggs were sold without authentication, and hence possess no scientific value whatever ; therefore, practically, the Petchora may be considered to have been virgin ground to the ornithologist. Our outfit was simple. We determined to be trammelled with as little luggage as possible. Besides the necessary changes of clothing we took each a pair of Cording's indiarubber boots, which we found invaluable. To protect our faces from the mosquitoes, we provided ourselves with silk gauze veils, with a couple of wire hoops inserted opposite the bridge of the nose and the chin, like little crinolines. These simple komarniks proved a complete success. On a hot summer's day life without them would have been simply unendurable. Of course the heat and sense of being somewhat stifled had to be borne, as by far the lesser of two evils.

Our hands we protected by the regulation cavalry gauntlet. We took two tents with us, but had no occasion to use them. Our net hammocks served as beds by night, and sofas by day, and very luxurious we found them. We each took a double barrelled breech-loader, and a walking-stick gun. Fivehundred cartridges for each weapon, with the necessary appliances for re-loading, we found amply sufficient. The only mistake we made, we afterwards found, was in not taking baking powder, nor sufficient dried vegetables and Liebig's extract of meat. SIBERIA IN EUROPE. CHAP. I A portable cooking apparatus, heated by spirits of wine, was occasionally useful, but as a rule we found that a wood fire with a substantial stewpot and frying-pan answered the purpose best. . In travelling in Russia, it is of the utmost importance to be on good terms with the officials, and we were most fortunate in obtaining the best introductions.

Our warmest thanks are due to Count Schouvaloff for his kindness in giving us letters that ensured us a welcome such as we could not have expected, and which added very largely to the safety and success of our trip. OLD RUSSIAN SILVER CROSS. SLEDGING THROUGH THE SNOW.

Chapter II

London to St. Petersburg — Mode of heating railway carriages — Frozen market at St. Petersburg — Bohemian waxwings — Moscow to Vologda — M. Verakin — Sledging from Vologda to Archangel — The Yemschik — Post-houses — The Samovar — Angliski Russ — Modes of yoking horses — State of the roads — Weather — Traffic — Scenery — Birds — Arrival at Archangel. We left London on the 3rd of March, 1875. A journey of four days and three nights, including a comfortable night's rest at Cologne and a few hours each at Hanover and Berlin, landed us in St. Petersburg. In Belgium it was cold, but there was no snow. In Germany we saw skaters on the ice, and there were patches of snow in shady corners. As we proceeded eastwards the snow and cold increased, and in Russia the whole ground was from one to two feet deep in CHAr.

II. snow, and sledges were the only conveyances to be seen at the stations. As far as Cologne the railway carriages were heated by the ordinary hot-water foot-warmer, and very com fortable they were, with a temperature outside of about 40°. From Hanover to Berlin the carriages were heated with charcoal fires under the seats, and the sense of oppression from foul air was so intolerable, that we were only too glad to shiver witli the windows open and the thermometer down to 20°. From Berlin to the frontier the carriages were heated by steam pipes, with an arrangement for regulating the heat, and although the temperature outside continued the same, we were able to keep a comfortable temperature of 60° without anv sense of suffocation. In Russia the carriages <_* D were heated with wood fires, and we kept up about the same temperature without any sense of discomfort, although the thermometer had fallen to 5° outside.

At Wirballen our letters of introduction saved us from an immensity of trouble and formality, thanks to the courtesy of M. de Pisanko and the other officials. We spent four days at St. Petersburg, sight-seeing and completing the preparations for our journey. The morning after our arrival was tlie last day of the " butter fair," and we were very much amused and interested, especially with the ice slide, which is one of its great features. A most interesting sight to us was the frozen market. Here, one stall would be full of frozen pigs, there another, laden almost mountain high with frozen sides of oxen and deer. Part of the market was occupied by rows of stalls, on which the frozen fish lay, piled up in stacks. Another portion devoted to ST. PETERSBURG TO VOLOGDA. CHAr. II. 9 birds and game, heaps of capercailzie, black grouse, hazel grouse (the rabchik of the Russians), willow grouse (the koropatki of the Russians), &c, stacks of white hares, and baskets full of small birds.

Amongst the latter we were anxious to secure some Bohemian waxwiugs, in order, if possible, to throw some light upon the vexed question of the difference between the sexes of their species. We bought a dozen of the most perfect skins for eighty kopecks. There were not many waxwings in the market, and all those we bought proved, on dissection, to be males. In winter these birds go in flocks, and it would seem that the sexes flock separately, as is known to be the case with many other species. On the evening of the 10th of March we left St. Peters burg, and travelled by rail all night to Moscow, where we spent a day. In the frozen market there we were told that waxwings were seen only in autumn. Jackdaws and hooded crows we found very abundant in Moscow. We left in the evening, and travelled per rail all night and the whole of the next day, reaching Vologda at midnight.

We had previously written to the English consul in Arch angel, and he was kind enough to buy fur dresses for us, and send them on to St. Petersburg. He also commissioned M. Verakin, a Russian merchant in Vologda, to furnish us with a sledge and provisions for the journey. M. Verakin treated us most hospitably, would not hear of our going to an hotel, and gave us every assistance in his power. Unfortunately, he spoke only his native Russ, but at last he found us an interpreter in the person of the German servant CHAP. II. of the Oberst Gendarme, and we were able, through him, to convey our thanks to our host for his kindness to us. From 8 a.m. on Sunday morning, the 14th of March, to Thursday at noon, we travelled by sledge day and night from Vologda to Archangel, a distance of nearly 600 Eng lish miles.