Animal Life in Nova Zembla. 151 



rous even there. With this enumeration the list of land Mam- 

 malia would be complete^ if MM. Pachtussow and Ziwolka 

 had not, during their winter stay, seen a little white animal 

 within their hut, which they in their journal call a mouse. 

 As the animal seen, according to M. Ziwolka's testimony, 

 must have been larger than a common domestic mouse, and 

 therefore could not be an individual of the white variety of 

 this animal brought by chance in some ship, I am doubtful 

 as to what it can be. On one hand it is stated that the North 

 American lemmings become white in winter, but yet not so 

 completely white as the animals of the weazel genus; on the 

 other hand it might also be possible that the little animal no- 

 ticed was a weazel. In Spitzbergen also a little white mammal 

 has been observed, whose systematic determination is uncer- 

 tain. 



The sea Mammalia are of more importance, and expensive 

 expeditions are yearly fitted out for the purpose of catching 

 them by the inhabitants of the coast of the White Sea ; but 

 unhappily the booty is so uncertain that they may be com- 

 pared to a game at hazard. If the sea is unusually free from 

 ice the losses are very great. One day however may repay the 

 loss of a whole year. For this reason these undertakings have 

 always been renewed for centuries, even though they some- 

 times entirely fail. The result of a fortunate year is usually 

 this, that in the following one too many ships go to Nova 

 Zembla, and either destroy to too great an extent these 

 mostly gregarious animals, or at least scare them away. 

 Thus in the year 1834 some expeditions were very fortunate, 

 after a previous cessation; in the year 1835 about 80 ships 

 went to Nova Zembla, for which may be reckoned at least 1000 

 men. In the year 1836 the number of the ships diminished 

 to one half. In the current year there were hardly more than 

 20 ships ; but only one, which entered the sea of Kara, made 

 a great profit : one or two captured nearly enough to pay the 

 cost of their fitting out, and of the rest the greater part lost 

 far more than a half. 



The most important animal for this chase is the Walrus, and 

 after the Walrus the Dolphin {Delphinus Leucas), known un- 

 der the name of the white whale, but which is here called 



