The Mammalia and Birds of Franz Josef Land. 81 



Josef Land, I only saw foxes three times, twice at Cape 

 Flora and once at Mabel Island. 



? Lepus borealis 



Payer mentions having seen the track of a single Hare ; 

 but neither Leigh Smith, Nansen, nor ourselves saw any 

 trace of this animal. It seems likely, therefore, that Payer 

 was mistaken in recording this animal, and T think it should 

 scarcely be included in the list of mammals. 



3. Rangifer tarandus. 



At the end of July 1897, I made an interesting discovery 

 of reindeer horns and bones, on a raised beach some 80 

 to 100 feet above sea-level, at Cape Plora. These are 

 described by Mr James Simpson. Leigh Smith discovered 

 reindeer horns, and others were found previous to my arrival 

 in Franz Josef Land in 1896. The question is: How these 

 horns and bones of reindeer came to be found in Franz 

 Joseph Land ? And I think the most likely suggestion 

 comes from Mr B. N. Peach, F.R.S., who thinks that they 

 may have been carried there by ice-floes from Siberia, and 

 were stranded upon this beach when it was at sea-level. So 

 also, perhaps, to a large extent we can account for the bones 

 of seals, whales, and bears being found on many of the raised 

 beaches. 



4. Bal^na mysticetus. 



There is no doubt that many of the bones of whales found 

 throughout Franz Josef Land on the raised beaches belong 

 to this species. Mr Simpson identifies many as such, and 

 a long blade of baleen, found by Dr Koettlitz, measured 

 6 feet 6 inches long. On account of its length, this can 

 be no other than the baleen of Balcena mysticetus, for it 

 was a weathered piece, and must have been even longer 

 than this originally. Neither Payer, Nansen, nor the 

 Jackson - Harmsworth Expedition saw any signs of any 

 living Bowhead Whale, and there appears to be considerable 

 doubt as to this whale having been seen by Leigh Smith's 

 party. 



VOL. XIV. F 



