SALT-WATER FISHERIES OF NORWAY. 695 



at this point, was satisfactorily explained by the unusually abrupt slop- 

 ing of the banks toward the outer deep and the exposure of this locality 

 to the warm northeasterly Atlantic current. Last year already we 

 observed near " Storegg " a similar very noticeable depression of the 

 cold area occasioned by the warmer current flowing back from the 

 abruptly rising " havbro." 



Similar irregularities in the temperature of the sea, most of which 

 could be explained by the peculiar formation of the bottom, were ob- 

 served farther south near the Vestfiord and the coast of jSTordland. But 

 as all this belongs more to the physical part of our observations, I will 

 not dwell on it any more, but will briefly relate how we found matters 

 on the opposite (the western) side of the Northern Sea near Jan ]\Iayen. 

 Just as strange as this island appeared to us with its plains covered with 

 black volcanic sand, its shallow lagoons, its chief mountain, the Beren- 

 berg, rearing its crater-shaped summit among the clouds, and its mighty 

 glaciers sloping toward the ocean, just as strange was the nature of the 

 surrounding sea. A few ftithoms below the surface we found ice-cold 

 water, and even the temperature of the surface-water rarely exceeded a 

 few degrees. There was consequently scarcely any warm area, and the 

 cold area predominated. But it must be remembered that we were 

 here under the direct influence of the Polar current. The warm Atlan- 

 tic current does not extend its beneficial influence to this barren and 

 monotonous island, which the greater portion of the year is covered 

 with snow and ice and enveloped in the dense fogs of the Polar Sea. 

 The Atlantic current passes a few degrees farther south, bounded by 

 the cold water of the Polar Sea, toward the more favored eastern xjortion 

 of the Northern Ocean, where its influence is felt as far north as Spitz- 

 b.ergen, which in spite of its more northern latitude, at any rate on its 

 western coast, has a much milder climate than Jan Mayen. 



Corresponding with the peculiar physical condition of Jan Mayen, we 

 found that the fauna at every depth, even up to the littoral zone, had a 

 completely arctic or glacial character without any southern elements 

 whatever. The dredgings made near Jan Mayen were of an exceed- 

 ingly interesting nature, and gave us a very correct idea of the rich 

 animal life which is found here in spite of the unfavorable temjierature 

 of the sea. We found a very large number of Echinoderms, some of 

 them of enormous size and beautiful colors ; likewise different peculiarly- 

 shaped mollusks, among the rest gigantic live specimens of Area glacialiSj 

 so characteristic of our older glacial period. 



It was also of interest to us to find here at a depth of 60-80 fathoms 

 some of our old acquaintances from the enormously deep cold area far- 

 ther south. Xearly all animal types were represented, not even exclud- 

 ing fish. The dredge thus brought up from a depth of 200 fathoms no 

 less than three different kinds belonging to those fish found near Green- 

 land. But not only the bottom of the sea but also its sijrface was full 

 of animal life, which might be seen from the enormous flocks of birds 



