NO. 4.] THE LAST TWO SUMMERS IN THE ICE. 47 



gull was seen and shot at by one of the crew ; but it could not be recognised 

 with certainty (84 48' N. Lat). 



Nor did this species appear in any great numbers during the summer of 

 1896, in the ice north of Spitsbergen; single specimens were observed only 

 two or three times. One was observed on May 13th, flying over the channels 

 (83 51' N. Lat.). This and a pair of Pagophila eburnea were the first 

 sea-birds that appeared that year. 



A single specimen was seen on June 9th, and lastly one on July 31st, 

 when the 'Fram' had already begun to approach the northern shores of 

 Spitsbergen. 



? Larus mariwus, Lin. 1766. 



On June 30th, 1895, in the ice north-east of Franz Josef Land, a black- 

 backed gull was seen by two of the crew when on a hunting expedition. 

 Mogstad was near enough to it to send a shot after it, and in doing so, 

 distinctly saw its black back. In his journal, he calls it "Svartbag" (the 

 Norwegian name for Larus marinus). 



After the shot had been fired, the bird settled by a little channel to the 

 west of the ship; but when, shortly after, a fulmar was shot from the same 

 spot, the gull flew away. This was in 84 35' N. Lat., 75 0' E. Long. 



Rissa tridactyla, (Lin.) 1766. 



During the summer of 1895, only a few solitary kittiwakes were observed 

 in the ice in the middle of June, north-east of Franz Josef Land. The first was 

 seen on June 10th. On June 16th, two more were seen, and one of them 

 was shot from the deck by Dr. Blessing. A fulmar was shot on the same 

 day (84 52' N. Lat.). This is the most northerly latitude in which birds 

 are hitherto known to have been shot. 



Lastly, a single specimen was seen on June 19th. 



The contents of the stomach in those specimens where they were exa- 

 mined, were, as a rule, crustaceans. In one individual, a specimen of a 

 Gadus saida was found, about 70 mm. in length. 1 



1 Qadws saida, Lep. 1773. This species was only once observed in the ice itself during 

 the expedition. On July 16th, 1895, in 84 42' N. Lat., Dr. Blessing, when on an excursion 



