102 M. Baer o« Animal Life in Nova Zmnbla. 



The marine mammiferous animals of Nova Zembla, would 

 therefore be the same as those known to occur in the Spitz- 

 bergen and Greenland seas, if the Greenland whale extended 

 so far. On the other hand, Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla 

 differ in a striking manner in their feathered inhabitants. 

 The latter indicates by its birds the proximity to a continent. 

 It is richer in species, but is at the same time less interesting 

 for the naturalist, as many of these species are the same which 

 yearly visit us, and partly remain with us, but of which ano- 

 ther portion proceed to Nova Zembla, in order to pass their 

 breeding season in undisturbed tranquillity. Of land birds we 

 found the Snowy Owl ( Stryx nt/ctea), which even passes 

 the winter there ; the Snow Bunting (Plectrophanes nivalis); 

 Strepsilas collaris ; the Striated Sandpiper (Tringamaritima); 

 and a Hawk which was by no means rare at Kostin-Schar, 

 but which could not be obtained, and therefore was not more 

 exactly determined. Old accounts mention also an Eagle, 

 but the wah'us fishers, of whom I inquired, could give me no 

 information about it ; and it is probably in fact the above- 

 mentioned hawk. 



As to the web-footed birds which here pass the season, the 

 Wild Geese ( Anas ferus or segetum) (Saatgdnse) are so nu- 

 merous, at least in the southern island, that the collecting the 

 wing feathers which have fallen out is an object of traffic ; the 

 Long-tailed Duck (Anas glacialis) is also common, and the 

 Cygnus musicus is not rare. 



The wah'us hunters maintain that there is only one kind 

 of goose in Nova Zembla, and in fact we saw no other but 

 the Wild Goose and the Anser torquatics, which last, however, 

 is not considered as a goose by the Russians. The Eider-duck 

 or Eider-goose is also not of rare occurrence. But the web- 

 footed herbivorous birds are not nearly so abundant in Nova 

 Zembla with its miserable vegetation, as on the island Kol- 

 gujew, which is represented to be covered with geese and 

 swans. Expeditions are sometimes sent there for the purpose 

 of killing and salting them. On one occasion in the course of 

 two hunts no less than 15,000 geese were slaughtered, as I 

 was assured by a merchant of Archangel. 



Among the web-footed birds of Nova Zembla are also to be 



