Birds uf Western Spitzbergen. 171 



way three eggs of the Little Auk were obtained. Some of the 

 Black Guillemots were breeding in rocks a mile or two inland ; 

 but we only procured one egg of this species, which we obtained 

 from a bird we shot. The Briinnich's Guillemots were in im- 

 mense profusion, constantly wheeling about in large flocks, day 

 and night. The Snow Buntings were not plentiful, but we 

 frequently heard their cheerful note, as they flew from one rock 

 to another; their plumage was as yet only partially changed: 

 their nests seemed very difiicult to And ; we only got one, which 

 had five eggs. 



The Purple Sandpiper [Tringa maritima, Briinn.) was very 

 abundant in Coal Bay (on the south side of Ice Sound, so named 

 on account of a small quantity of poor coal being found there), 

 and we found four of their nests on the high fjeld. Beautiful 

 little nests they were, deep in the ground, and lined with stalks 

 of grass and leaves of the Dwarf Birch (Betula nana, L.), con- 

 taining mostly four eggs of an olive-green, handsomely mottled 

 with purplish brown, chiefly at the larger end. We watched 

 this elegant little bird — the only one of the Graliatores we saw — 

 with much interest, as it waded into some pool of snow-water or 

 ran along the shingle, every now and then raising its wings 

 over its back and exhibiting the delicate tint of the under-side, 

 at the same time uttering its loud shrill whistle. 



Of the beautiful snow-white Ivory Gull {Pagophila eburnea, 

 Kaup) we saw only six or seven individuals ; and though both 

 the examples we killed had their bellies bare of feathers as in 

 sitting birds, all our endeavours to find where they were breed- 

 ing failed. Our crew informed us that no one had ever found 

 their eggs or knew where they made their nests ; they also 

 asserted that the " Ice Gull " was never seen except upon ice, 

 and in only one instance we found this statement to be in- 

 correct. 



In this fjord a large species of Goose was very common, and 

 we found them breeding mostly on low rocks near the coast ; 

 but some seemed to have their nests in the high cliff's a mile or 

 two from the sea. We obtained some specimens both of birds 

 and eggs, but unfortunately neglected to preserve the skins of 

 the former ; we cannot, therefore, be positive as to which spe- 



