VOL. XVII. (3) THE ISLAND OF JAN MAYEN 337 



latter especially appeared quite tame and unsuspicious, and 

 circled round close to our feet. On the shore were logs of the 

 Siberian drift-timber which we saw later in greater quantities 

 on the coast of Jan Mayen. 



While at this anchorage a division of opinion arose among 

 us as to our future course. This led unfortunately to a re- 

 grettable delay, for it was not till we had steamed many miles 

 down the coast that our better senses gained the upper hand 

 and we retraced our " steps " upon the foggy sea. Crossing 

 the Arctic Circle we steered a straight course north-north- 

 east. A careful watch was kept for polar-ice but although 

 there were traces of ice-blink from time to time upon the 

 horizon we were fortunate in meeting with none. Near the 

 coast of Iceland we passed through frequent banks of dense 

 sea-fog. Kittiwakes and fulmars came and went, and once, 

 far north, we saw a Solan goose flying southward. We felt 

 considerable anxiety on account of the smallness of our vessel, 

 and the soft coal we bought in Iceland was burning away 

 more rapidly than we wished it to. The temperature of the 

 sea was taken hourly by day and night — starting at 7-2° 

 Centigrade near Cape Langanes and finally falHng by gentle 

 stages to 3-5° on the north coast of Jan Mayen. 



We sighted the first rocks of the latter some thirty hours 

 after leaving the coast of Iceland. As we drew nearer the 

 precipices forming the southern end of the island, large num- 

 bers of fulmars flew around us, and the young of the black 

 guillemot could be seen on the water close to the " Matador." 

 But the bird-speciahsts on board quickly saw that we had 

 arrived too late in the season to see the bird-life at its best, 

 the young ones having already largely departed for the south. 

 Polar bears come here in winter on the pack-ice from Green- 

 land, and there are Arctic foxes on the island. The French 

 scientists on "La Manche " were met on the shore by three 

 of these foxes coming down unsuspiciously to see the strangers. 

 They found that the sea-birds were in the habit of building 

 high up on the cliffs just out of reach of these foxes, ever on 

 the look-out for their young. 



