98 THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. [chap. 



place is on Novaya Zemlya at the inland lakes a little way from 

 the coast. The walrus-hunters say that its eggs taste better 

 than those of the common eider. They are somewhat smaller 

 and have a darker green colour. 



On the Down Islands hatches, along with the eiders, the long- 

 necked prutgaessen, barnacle goose {Anser hcrnicla, L.) marked 

 on the upper part of the body in black and brownish grey. 

 It lays four to five white eggs in an artless nest without 

 down, scattered here and there among the eiders' nests rich in 

 down. This variety of goose is found in greatest numbers 

 during the moulting season at small inland lakes along the 

 coast, for instance on the line of coast between Bell Sound and 

 Ice Fjord and on Gooseland. The walrus-hunters sometimes 

 call them " rapphoens " — partridges — a misleading name, which 

 in 1873 induced me to land on the open coast south of Ice 

 Fjord, where " rapphoens " were to be found in great numbers. 

 On landing I found only moulting barnacle geese. The bar- 

 nacle goose finds its food more on land and inland lakes than 

 in the sea. Its flesh accordingly is free from the flavour of 

 train oil and tastes well, except that of the female during the 

 hatching season, when it is poor and tough. The eggs are 

 better than the eider's. 



On Spitzbergen besides the barnacle goose we meet with the 

 closely allied species Anser leuco])sis, Bechst. It is rather rare, 

 but more common on Novaya Zemlya. Further there occurs at 

 the last-named place a third species of goose, vildgaosen, the 

 " grey goose " or " great goose " of the walrus-hunters ; the bean 

 goose {Anser segetum, Gmel.), which is replaced on Spitzbergen 

 by a nearly allied type, the pink-footed goose (Anser hracliy- 

 rhynchus, Baillon). These geese are much larger than both the 

 eider and the barnacle goose, and appear to be sufficiently 

 strong to defend themselves against the fox. They commonly 

 breed high up on some mossy or grassy oasis, among the stone 

 mounds of the coast mountains, or on the summit of a steep 

 strand escarpment in the interior of the fjords. During the 

 moulting season the grey geese collect in flocks at the small 

 fresh-water lakes along the coast. The flesh of this species of 

 goose is finer than that of the common tame goose and has no 

 trace of any train flavour. 



Among the swimming birds that give the summer life on 

 Novaya Zemlya its peculiar character, we may further reckon 

 the scaup-duck and the swan. Alfogel or allan, the long-tailed 

 duck [Fuligula glaciaUs, L.) is rare on Spitzber'^en, but occurs 

 very generally on Novaya Zemlya, and especially in the Kara 

 Sea, on whose coasts it is seen in summer collected in large 

 flocks. Mindre snongsvanen, Bewick's swan {Cygnus Beivickii, 

 Yarr.), is the most nobly formed and coloured bird of the 



