50 THE OEKMAN ARCTIC EXPEDITION. 



when, according to its uniform custom, it would circle two 

 or three times at some distance round the ship, and either 

 settle down once more, or totally disappear. Besides 

 these, we frequently saw the grey petrel {Procellaria 

 glacialis, L.), which until that time had been rare. They 

 strike the observer at once by their long, grey, straight 

 wings hovering almost motionless over the water. Like 

 all northern travellers, we soon learnt to know among 

 the ice the peculiar bird called the Mallemock. 



With the crossing of the Arctic circle we found our- 

 selves in our own broad field of action ; for if our chief 

 task was to follow the coast of East Greenland as far as 

 possible to the north, our expedition was also one of 

 general knowledge, and therefore the exploring of the 

 whole of the North Arctic region was incumbent upon 

 us. So that, although still far from the ice, regular, and, 

 when possible, searching investigation was made, not 

 the ordinary observations on board ship, regarding the 

 direction of the wind, barometrical pressure, and so forth, 

 but inquiries into subjects relating to the physical geo- 

 graphy of the sea. The temperature of the surface water, 

 as during the whole of the voyage, was taken every two 

 hours, and that of greater depths, ever since the 1st of 

 July (61° N.L.), four times every day. In connexion 

 with this Drs. Borgen and Copeland began a series of 

 experiments relating to the quantity of salt contained in 

 the surface water and in the depths. Notice was also 

 taken of the colour of the sea, as well as of the wood 

 met with. Soundings were taken every six hours, and 

 everything brought up by the apparatus was carefully 

 preserved. 



These observations were of no small interest, as we 



