1915] WAITING FOR THE SHIP 169 



he was not a man. To prove his manhood he decided 

 to shoot some one; therefore he selected as his victim 

 the insulter's brother! His aim was as erratic as his 

 temperament. They both still live. 



By the last of June little auks (Alle alle), black guille- 

 mots (Cepphus mandti), eider ducks (Somateria molissima 

 horealis), the brant (Branta bernicla glaucog astro), the 

 long-tailed duck (Harelda hy emails), the snow-bunting 

 (Plectrophenax nivalis nivalis), the wheat-ear (Saxicola 

 cenanthe leucorhoa), and the burgomaster gull {Larus 

 hyperhoreus) were all laying their ^ggs. Deep rivers 

 were flowing through the valleys; water was tumbling 

 from the cliffs; salmon trout were passing to and from 

 Alida Lake; the rapidly melting harbor ice lay glittering 

 in the warm ever-revolving sun. Another long, delight- 

 ful Arctic summer was here wuth its manifold oppor- 

 tunities for work, and work with a distinct pleasure. 

 Always the day was too short and the period of sleep 

 too early. So much to do and so little time in which 

 to do it! 



What fun high up on the cliffs, crawling and creep- 

 ing on the narrow ledges, often with body pressed tightly 

 against the face of the rock, hunting for the eggs of the 

 white gyrfalcon, the raven, and the big burgomaster 

 gull! And what a swish of diving white bodies and 

 extended wings as one approached nest and eggs and 

 young ! 



Impatient at the slow wearing away of the edge of the 

 sea ice now extending far beyond the outer islands, we 

 launched our sail-dory on July 6th in an open pool be- 

 yond Sunrise Point and sailed away toward the shores 

 of Littleton Island on our annual egg-collecting picnic. 

 To our surprise, because of a recent snow-storm we 



