133 



Purple Sandpipers and Snow-Buntings are characteristic birds of the 

 dry tundra, while the King-Eider and the Grey Phalarope like to 

 breed in both parts of the tundra. 



I remained near Cape Boheman till July 12. During the first 

 week of my stay here, I occupied myself with ornithology only, 

 my zoological equipment not having arrived from Holland as yet. 

 On July 12 the settlement was visited by the members of the 

 Oxford University Expedition to Spitsbergen, 1921, 

 1st Party, which consisted of the leader Rev. F. C. R. Jourdain, the 

 well-known English oologist, the zoologist J. S. Huxley, his assistant 

 Ch. Elton, the ornithologists Dr. T. G. Longstaff, A. H. Pagit Wilkes 

 and J. DouGLAi Brown, the geologist R. W. Segnit, the botanist V. 

 S. SuMMERHAYEs, while Mr. F. G. Binney as secretary, Mr. Seton Gordon, 

 the Scottish naturalist as photographer and Mr. H. Powell as taxi- 

 dermist took part in the Expedition. Of course an extensive orni- 

 thological collection was made. I could show them nests of the 

 Phalarope and of the King-Eider, the latter not having been col- 

 lected by the Expedition as yet. To my great pleasure I was in- 

 vited to visit the northern part of Icefjord with their expedition- 

 ship, while a few members of the Expedition remained near Cape 

 Boheman, in order to observe and to collect here for some days. 



In the early morning of July 13, we went with the „Terningen" 

 to the westcoast of Dickson Land, principally to see the large 

 colony of Brünnich's Guillemots and of Kittiwakes, which breed 

 here on the steep cliffs of Mt. Congress, 



One of the birds, breeding in Spitsbergen, viz. the Spitsbergen 

 Ptarmigan, had not been collected by the Oxford Expedition as yet. 

 We went on to Ebba Valley, opening into the northern part of 

 Klaas Billen Bay, where many were said to be found. It was a 

 pity that we could not secure any Ptarmigans here, nor near Bruce 

 City, nor in Mimer Valley, all situated in the northern part of 

 Billen Bay. Egg-shells and feathers of this bird were found, besides 

 the holes, in which they take their sand-baths, but live specimens 

 were not seen. After this trip I visited with the Expedition the 

 A user Isles, — known for their great number of Eiders; Geese do 

 not breed here any longer — situated in Icefjord near Klaas Billen 

 Bay, and then we went to Advent Bay, where a big colony of Little 

 Auks is most worth to be looked at. Right above the largest mining- 

 settlement of Spitsbergen, called Longyear City, thousands of these 

 pretty birds flew to and from their breeding haunts. On July 19 



