X.] HUMIDITY OF THE AIR. 3Gj 



psychrometcr and Saiissure's hygrometer. But I do not 

 believe that these instruments give trustworthy results at a 

 temperature considerably under the freezing-point. Moreover 

 the degree of humidity at the place where there can be a 

 question of setting up a ps^'^chrometer and hygrometer during 

 a wintering in the high north, has not the meteorological 

 importance which has often been ascribed to it. For the instru- 

 ments are as a rule set up in an isolated louvre case, standing at 

 a height above the surface convenient for reading. While the 

 snow is drifting almost uninterruptedly it is impossible to keep 

 this case clear of snow. Even the air, which was originally 

 quite dry, must here be saturated with moisture through evapor- 

 ation from the surrounding layers of snow and from the snow 

 dust which whirls about next the surface of the earth. In order 

 to determine the true degree of humidity in the air, I would 

 accordino-ly advise future travellers to these regions to weicrh 

 directly the water which a given measure of air contains by 

 absorbing it in tubes with chloride of calcium, calcined sulphate 

 of copper, or sulphuric acid. It would be easy to arrange an 

 instrument for this purj)ose so that the whole work could be 

 done under deck, the air from any stratum under the mast-top 

 being examined at will. If I had had the means to make such 

 an examination at the Vega's winter quarters, it would certainly 

 have appeared that the relative humidity of the air at a height 

 of some few metres above the surface of the earth was for the 

 most part exceedingly small. 



The sandy neck of land which on the side next the vessel 

 divided the lagoons from the sea, was bestrewn with colossal 

 bones of the whale, and with the refuse of the Chukches, who 

 had lived and wandered about there for centuries, and besides 

 with portions of the skeleton of the seal and walrus, with the 

 excreta of men, dogs, birds, &c. The region was among the 

 most disagreeable I have seen in any of the parts inhabited 

 by fishing LapjDs, Samoyeds, Chukches, or Eskimo. When 

 the Vega was beset there were two Chukch villages on the 

 neighbouring beach, of which the one that lay nearest our winter 

 haven was called Pitlekaj. It consisted at first of seven tents, 

 which in consequence of want of food their inhabitants removed 

 gradually in the course of the winter to a region near Behring's 

 Straits, where fish were more abundant. At the removal only 

 the most indispensable articles were taken along, because there 

 was an intention of returning at that season of the year when 

 the chase again became more productive. The other encamp- 

 ment, Yinretlen, lay nearer the cape towards Kolyutschin Bay, 

 and reckoned at the befrinninc^ of our wintering likewise seven 

 tents, whose inhabitants appeared to be in better circumstances 

 than those of Pitlekaj. Tliey had during the autumn made a 



