The terrestrial mammals and birds of North-East Greenland. 25 



species mollissima. In shot females of both species I found only 

 quite undeveloped eggs in the ovary. 



The terns visited their old nesting places in crowds several times 

 daily, staying here a few moments at a time, only to disappear again 

 to their foraging places in the ice crevices or the freshwater lakes. 

 Here and there they left a few loosely dropped eggs on the nesting 

 places, but not a single young was hatched this summer. Much 

 earlier than ordinarily the terns disappeared altogether. Neither 

 the longtailed ducks had any young ones. One single brood of two 

 indididuals I met with, however, on the shores of Lakseelven 

 which Avas free from ice all summer, while the little bay lying out- 

 side the river was covered with ice nearly all the time. A few 

 pairs of sea-gulls, the nests of which had probably been laid in the 

 mountains west of the Lakselv, appeared towards the end of August, 

 bringing with them their grown-up young, to which they must 

 have found sufficient food in the large, salmon-filled river. 



(A more explicit account of the breeding conditions of these 

 bird species will be found in the respective articles.) 



Remembering Avith what obstinacy nearly all birds will resort 

 to the once chosen breeding places, one will not be surprised to 

 find that the birds on the here mentioned territory appear at the 

 normal time and in the normal number, without regard to the 

 weather and the ice conditions, and when the circumstances are 

 considered too unfavourable, they fail to breed, instead of taking 

 themselves off quickly to places offering better opportunities, though 

 this perhaps might seem more likely to happen. The birds know 

 w^ell enough that such places, even if they fulfilled the desired con- 

 ditions, will be populated in advance on a suitable scale, and con- 

 sequently the here domiciliated birds of the same species will defend 

 their domain energeticallз^ 



