CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 5^ 



of them throughout the sumoier season. Along the coast of Siberia from Just north of Bering 

 Straits to wherever the shore is low and bordered by lagoons or shallow river mouths, o(jcur the 

 Steller's and the King Eider iu great numbers. According to Nordenskiiild the Emperor Goose 

 also visits this coast. At Tapkan we found Steller's Eider in excessive abuiulance during our 

 stay there, as detailed in the following pages. The Alaskan coast, from Icy Cape to Point 

 Barrow, is also froqueiited by the King Eider iu great abundance. 



The Kotzebue Kittiwake uest in large numbers upon a small rocky islet just oil' Chamisso 

 Island at the head of the Kotzebue Sound, aud also upon the cliffs bordering tlie northern shore 

 of Norton Sound in Bering Sea, especially those at Cape Darby and Cape Denbigh. Adams's Loon 

 is fouud rather commonly upon the rivers flowing into the head of Kotzebue Sound, esiiecuilly 

 along the Kunguk. 



Some small rocky islets iu the middle of Akutan Pass near Unalaska, in the Aleutian Islands, 

 are the breeding places of the beautiful little Forked-tailed petrel; and the coast line of Alaska 

 from Cape Vancouver to the middle of the Yukon delta is the great breeding-gi'ound of the 

 Emperor geese. From the northern border of the Yukon delta north to Norton Bay the Spectacled 

 Eider breeds among the brackish water lagoons and ponds where the shore is flat and tnarshy. 

 North of Saint Michaels, however, this species is rare, occurring in its greatest abundance between 

 Saint Michaels and the Y'ukon mouth. 



The principal sources from Avhich iuformation has been derived, in addition to my own 

 observations, have been Dall and Bannister's list of birds in the " Transactions of the Chicago 

 Academy of Sciences" for 18G9, and Dr. Cones' Ornithology of the Pribylov Islands in Elliott's 

 " Condition of Affairs in Alaska," Treasury Department, 1874. 



The seasons of navigation upon the two shores of Bering Sea are usually somewhat uneven, the 

 ice remaining longer in spring upon the Alaskan coast than it does on the Siberian shore; and the 

 reverse in autumn, when the ice from the Arctic forces its way through Bering Strait and fills the 

 western portion of this sea for some distance before ice commences to form on the east coast. On 

 shore we have the reverse,'aud in the spring of 1881, when we left Saiut Michaels, the last of June, 

 the hills were covered with green grasses, and willows and alders were commencing to show their 

 summer foliage, while numerous northern flowers were already in blossom. Only a rare patch of 

 snow was to be seen here and there on the distant hillsides, and summer was apparently at hand. 

 When we reached the Siberian coast, however, winter still appeared in force, and the snow reached 

 from the tops of the highest hills to the water's edge in immense banks and drifts, although many 

 places where the snow or wind had opportunity to exert its influence showed the bare lichen-covered 

 rocks; but the vegetation was extremely backward, only just commencing to start, iu fact. This, 

 however, is accounted for from the fact that the waters of western Bering Sea are deeper and far 

 colder than those of the eastern shore in summer, where tiie shallow water and great amount of 

 warm fresh water brought down by the numerous rivers flowing into the sea change the tempera- 

 ture very rapidly and at the same time rapidly affect the surrounding atmosphere. On the Siber- 

 ian coast, on the contrary, the ice is swept away by the strong currents which flow north and in 

 spring carrying with it ice, leaving the coast free from the latter, but at the same time surrounding 

 the shores with water at an icy temperature which falls but little throughout the summer. The 

 basin-like character of Norton Sound, as also of Kotzebue Sound in the Arctic, aid in giving them 

 a much milder climate than their northern location would indicate. 



The coast of Bering Sea from the Yukon mouth north to Bering Strait is broken occasionally 

 by rugged cliff's, but, as a rule, is low and undulating, and covered with grass and mosses, inter- 

 spersed with ponds, where tlie various species of fresh water fowl breed. Along the beach is strewn 

 great quantities of driftwood, which comes from the Yukon freshets, but trees occur only along a 

 small portion of the coast extending from the vicinity of Unalakleet north around the coast to near 

 Cape Darby, where the spruces are found in some places within a few yards of tide- water. From 

 this point north not a tree approaches within miles of the coast-line. At the head of Kotzebue 

 Sound a few spruces may be seen on the sides of distant mountains, aud beyond this the country 

 has the peculiarly barren Arctic appearance. At the head of the Kotzebue Sound a species of tall 

 grass grows in considerable abundance ; but leaving this sound to the north the coast becomes 



