266 Mr. Wm. Eagle Clarke on the 



and the first thing we noted was an immense number of 

 Ivory Gulls, and from their demonstrations and shriekings 

 it soon became evident that they were nesting. As we 

 travelled across the low-lying spit we found this was so. 

 Here there are five or six square miles, or more, of fairly 

 level ground, more or less terraced, being evidently a series 

 of raised beaches. This, if not the largest, is one of the 

 largest areas of bare ground in Franz Josef Land. Beyond 

 a few lichens and occasional patches of moss there is very 

 little vegetation, only two flowering plants being found — a 

 saxifrage and a grass, and these very sparingly indeed. 

 There is very little actual soil, and the surface is rough 

 and rugged with large stones. Scattered all over it are 

 numerous freshwater ponds, the largest of them perhaps two 

 hundred yards across. The first signs of the Ivory Gulls' 

 nests were patches of old moss every here and there, which 

 at first we could not make out. As we advanced we saw 

 more of these patches, and these seemed more compact. 

 On approaching closer to these the birds made still more 

 vehement demonstrations, swooping down upon us, and 

 giving vent to their feelings by uttering a perfectly deafening 

 shriek close to our heads. Once in the midst of their nests — 

 for these patches of moss were their nests — we had many 

 hundreds of birds around us, first one swooping down to 

 within a foot of our heads, and immediately after another. 

 In some cases they actually touched us, and in one instance 

 knocked the hat ofi" a man's head. Most of the nests were 

 empty, owing to the late date ; but here and there was a 

 single egg, and in two nests I found two eggs Going on 

 through this gullery we found that near certain nests, 

 which were apparently empty, the birds made even more 

 violent demonstrations than before, and in looking carefully 

 about we descried a young Ivory Gull in its greyish-white 

 downy plumage, and hardly visible against the stones, which 

 were of a very similar colour. Even the older ones, wliich 

 were more whitish, were difficult to see among the stones. 

 These young birds would sit crouched in between two or 

 three large stones, and one might at first sight take them 



