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Ornithological notes 

 from Spitsbergen and Northern Scandinavia^ 1921 



Dr. G. J. VAN OORDT. 

 AVith one text-figure and 4 plates. 



Last summer I had the great privilege to be the guest of the 

 „N. V. Nederlandsche Spitsbergen Compagnie," in order 

 to collect material in Spitsbergen for different Dutch Musea. Being 

 a zoologist I gave my attention chiefly to the fauna, but at the 

 same time I was able to make an elaborate collection of plants 

 for the Utrecht Herbarium and to gather many fossils, principally 

 of plants, for the Utrecht Geological Institution. Though it was my 

 intention to bring a collection of sea-animals as well, this plan 

 could not be executed to the full, owing to different circumstances, 

 and so I had to content myself chiefly with collecting as much as 

 possible in freshwater-lakes and on land. An advantage of all this 

 was that now I had much more time to give to ornithology and 

 to make a small collection of Spitsbergen birds. 



Moreover, the long stay in one place (viz. near Cape Boheman) 

 was a welcome opportunity to watch the same birds during a long 

 time and in this way I was enabled to make several interesting 

 biological observations. 



I now will give an outUne of my voyage. 



On June 10, 1921 I left for Bergen by the steamer from Rotter- 

 dam, with the fourth transport of German labourers, who went to 

 work in the coalmine of the „Ned. Spitsbergen Cie" at Green Har- 

 bour. The North Sea not being very calm, I could not observe 

 much. Besides Great Black-backed Gulls and Kitti wakes I saw a 

 rather large number of pale-coloured Fulmar Petrels in the Skagerak. 



In the morning of June 13 we were near the Norwegian coast 

 and now a splendid trip began through the Norwegian fjords as 

 far as Tromsö, lasting about a week. Only on a few occasions our 

 steamer reached the open sea; nearly always we were protected 

 from the ocean by islands and islets. 



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