The Journal of a Sporting Nomad 



birds I had succeeded in bringing back alive to 

 the London Zoological Gardens. Here they lived 

 for some months, the ivory gulls eventually 

 dying from being, I fancy, so well fed. There 

 were small fish for them galore ; result, too much 

 fat ! No exercise ! Death ! 



Whilst at Danes Ghat I collected quite a large 

 sack of eider-down. These ducks are numerous 

 on the small islands in this vicinity. The down 

 is plucked by the ducks from their breasts and 

 is used to line their nests with, which consist 

 but of hollows scooped out of the ground. In 

 Norway these birds are protected by law, the 

 down only being collected. The eggs are only 

 moderately good to eat, being somewhat strong 

 and fishy. The down is more often than not 

 mixed up with seaweed and other foreign sub- 

 stances. The Norwegians separate it by tossing 

 between sticks, the heavier particles falling 

 to the ground. I tried this method, but 

 found it exceedingly tedious. Unfortunately 

 some thief took a fancy to my sack of down 

 on my way through Norway and stole the 

 lot. 



I had, whilst at Danes Ghat, one shot at a 

 walrus he was asleep on a small ice hummock. 

 I hit him in the head with a bullet from my 

 Paradox, which must have killed him instantly, 

 for he fell over into the sea and sank. The 

 water was much discoloured with blood, but was 



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