108 Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society., 



our station at Cape Flora, the whole place being alive with 

 them.— W. S. B.] 



20. *Mergulus alle (Linn.). 



Payer, op. ciL, ii. p. 91 ; Feilden, t. c, p. 109; Neale, Proc. Zool. Soc, 

 1882, pp. 652, 653; Nansen, op. ciL, ii. pp. 308, 312, 320, 351, 

 403, 404, 410, 414, 438. 



The collection contains four Little Auks from Cape Flora, 

 three of which were obtained on the 11th of April 1895, and 

 one on the 27th of April 1897. 



This is one of the commonest birds inhabiting Franz Josef 

 Land, where it is widely distributed. Dr Neale found it 

 breeding in great numbers in the south on the lofty cliffs at 

 Gray Bay, also many at Cape Forbes; and Sir Clements 

 Markham {Proc. Boy. Geog. Soc, iii. p. 133) mentions a 

 rookery at Bruce Island. 



Dr Nansen observed it to the north-east of Franz Josef 

 Land, in lat. 82° K, on the 10th of June 1895, and on the 

 26th of June many were seen in the same latitude. At 

 the Isles of Hvidtenland, on the 8th of August, a number 

 of Little Auks were noted; and at Torup Island, on the 

 17th, there were "myriads." On the 10th of March 1896, 

 at his winter-quarters on Frederick Jackson Island, Dr 

 Nansen mentions that " millions " were seen flying up the 

 sound at 6 A.M., and "when we went out at two in the 

 afternoon there was an unceasing passage of flock after 

 flock out to sea, and this continued until late in the after- 

 noon." It was also observed (p. 410) that this species and 

 the Black Guillemot invariably set forth from the land at 

 certain times of the day towards the open sea, returning in 

 broken lines to their nest-rocks again. At the basaltic cliffs 

 of Cape Fisher, on the 3rd of June 1896, he found these 

 birds breeding in swarms. 



Dr Neale tells us that the Little Auk departed from 

 Cape Flora in the autumn of 1881, during the first week 

 of September, and was first observed there in the spring of 

 1882 on the 2nd of March. It arrived at Frederick Jackson 

 Island in 1896 on the 25th of February, as related by 

 Dr Nansen. 



