260 REV. H. N. BONAR ON 
*31. MERGULUS ALLE (Linn.).—Little Auk. 
A curious, stumpy, energetic little bird, which always has 
the air of being late for an important engagement. It has 
a business-like hurrying demeanour which contrasts strongly 
with the dignified leisurely flight of the Fulmar. It is to 
be seen breeding in myriads on the high inland rocks, which 
it often seems to prefer to the actual sea-cliffs. With my 
binoculars I could see these birds swarming, just like bees, 
round every suitable cliff-side, often at so great a height 
as to be quite invisible to the unaided eye. As one walks 
up an inland valley or traverses a deep gorge, their shrill 
plaintive note is to be heard from the top of the cliffs, and 
the sound is by no means unpleasing. I found several used 
nesting-sites among the rotten rocks and talus-slopes of the 
Vogelberg, and got one cracked egg out of one of them. 
This bird alters its profile to a ludicrous extent (after the 
familiar manner of the Rook at breeding-time) by stuffing 
its mouth with small shrimps to carry back to its young. 
It was easy to tell from the curious pink-coloured droppings 
of this bird which spattered the rocks in many places, that 
shrimps formed the principal food of the adults also. 
*39. FRATERCULA GLACIALIS (Leach).—Aretic Puffin. 
Seen at sea in every part of Spitsbergen visited. When 
sailing in the middle of Icefjord, we disturbed hundreds, 
never actually in flocks, but in groups of threes and fours. 
To the eye, distinctly of a larger and stouter build than the 
British Puffin: but as I never shot one, I cannot tell the 
difference with any accuracy. This bird and Mandt’s 
Guillemot alone were breeding in the low black shale cliffs 
at Cape Thordsen, no other birds at all being seen on 
these rocks. 
*33, COLYMBUS SEPTENTRIONALIS, Linn.—Red- 
throated Diver. 
Seen many times flying high overhead, calling loudly and 
alarmingly. 
A pair nested on one of the Advent Dal ponds, and at 
least two pairs on the Sassendal ponds. This species was 
