88 THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. [cuap. 



with brown, of very variable size and form. After it has been 

 sat upon for some time, it is covered with a thick layer of birds' 

 dung, and in this way the hunters are accustomed to distinguish 

 uneatable eggs from fresh. 



If a shot be fired at a " loomery," the fowl fly away in 

 thousands from their hatching places, without the number of 

 those that are not frightened away being ajDparently diminished. 

 The clumsy and short-winged birds, when they cast themselves 

 out of their places, fall down at first a good way before they 

 get " sufficient air" under their wings to be able to fly. Before 

 this takes place, many plump down into the water, sometimes 

 even into the boat which may be rowed along the foot of 

 the feU. 



An unceasing, unpleasant cackling noise indicates that a 

 continual gossip goes on in the "loomery"; and that the 

 unanimity there is not great, is proved by the passionate 

 screams which are heard now and then. A bird squeezes 

 forward in order to get a place on a ledge of rock already 

 packed full, a couple of others quarrel about the ownership of 

 an egg which has been laid on a corner of the rock only a few 

 inches broad, and which now during the dispute is precipitated 

 into the abyss. By the beginning of July most of the eggs 

 are uneatable. I have seen the young of the size of a rotge 

 accompany their mothers in the middle of August. The 

 loom breeds on Walden Island and the north coast of 

 North-East land, accordingly far north of 80°. I found the 

 largest " loomeries " on Spitzbergen south of Lomme Bay in 

 Hinloopen Strait, at the southern entrance to Van Meyen Bay 

 in Bell Sound, and at Alkornet in Ice Fjord. In respect to the 

 large number of fowl, however, only the first of these can 

 compete with the south shore of Besimannaja Bay (72°54'N.L.) 

 and with the part of Novaya Zemlya that lies immediately to 

 the south of this bay. The eggs of the loom are palatable, 

 and the flesh is excellent, though not quite free from the 

 flavour of train oil. In any case it tastes much better than 

 that of the eider. 



Along with the rotge and the loom two nearly allied 

 species of birds, lunnefogcln, the Arctic puffin [Mormon 

 arcHcus, L.) and tejsten or tohis-grisslan, the black guillemot 

 (JJria grylle, L.) are to be seen among the drift-ice. I do not 

 know any puflfin-fells on Spitzbergen. The bird appears to 

 breed there only in small numbers, though it is still found on 

 the most northerly part of the island. On Novaya Zemlya, 

 too, it occurs rather sparingly. The black guillemot, on the other 

 hand, is found everywhere, though never collected in large 

 flocks, along the shores of Spitzbergen, and Novaya Zemlya, 

 even as far north as Parry Island in 80° 40'N.L., where in 1861 



