Dan Meinertzhagen's Diary. 



^pril ^rd. — A lovely day, but the sea still 

 rough, and a good wind blowing. In the bit of 

 open sea before Hitteren, I saw a whale, and 

 the Captain told me two were seen that day. 

 By Hitteren we saw Cormorants, Grey Crows, 

 Starlings, Fieldfares, Black Guillemots, Eiders, 

 and Long-tailed Ducks. This is the first time 

 I have seen Long-tailed Ducks alive, and the first 

 time Eiders in breeding plumage. The Long- 

 tailed Ducks were in little parties of seven or 

 eight, and much wilder than the Eiders. The 

 plumage of the male Eider in breeding time is 

 peculiar, since it is light above and darker 

 below. This is the only bird I know in which 

 the colours are so placed. Sitting on the rocks, 

 which in winter and at Easter are covered with 

 patches of snow, they would be very difficult 

 to see — protective mimicry ! — We arrived at 

 Trondhjem in the evening. 



April 4th. — We had intended to buy furs at 

 Brunn's, in Trondhjem, yesterday, but we 

 arrived late and the shops were closed ; so we 

 went straight on board the ** Vesteraalia " 

 which was to start at eight o'clock this morning 

 for Tromso. To-day was very fine, and we 

 passed Beian about ten, which is a small fishing 

 village about 20 miles from Trondhjem at the 

 mouth of the fiord; it lies very low, and is sur- 



