60 VOYAGE INTO 



CHAP. II. 



Of the Broad or Web-Footed Birds. 



There are several sorts of these about Spitzbergen. Some 

 of them have thin pointed bills, others have thick and broad 

 ones. Some of these thick-billed ones have them divided or 

 parted, as the mallemucken (mad gnats in English) ; others 

 have undivided one, as the parret so called. 



There is also considerable difference in the heels of these 

 birds, for some of them have heels, as the mountain- duck, 

 kirmeic, and mallemucks ; others have them not at all, as the 

 hur germeister, rathsher, strimdjager, kutyegehf , parret , lumh, 

 pigeon, and the red-goose ; no water sticks to their feathers, 

 no more than on the swans and other water-fowl, for it runs 

 off from them as if they were oiled all over. Some are birds 

 of prey, others not. There is also a difference in their flying. 

 Some flie like unto a partridge, as that called the pigeon ; 

 others, like swallows, as the lumbs and red-geese / others, 

 like the mews, as the 7nallemucke, rathsher, and strimdjager ; 

 others, like the stork, as the hurgcrmeistcr. 



The birds of prey are, the hurgermeister, rathsher, strimd- 

 jager, kutyegehf, and mallemucke. There is also a great dif- 

 ference in their flesh ; the birds of prey are not so good to 

 eat as the others, except you hang them up by the legs for 

 some days, that the train-oil may run out of them, and the 

 air blow through them ; and then you do not taste the train- 

 oil so strong, for else it would make you vomit. The pigeons, 

 parrots, red-geese, and ducks are the most fleshy ; the old 

 lumbs have a very rough and dry flesh, not to disparage the 

 rotges, kermews, and young lumbs when boiled, and the fat 

 taken away from them, and afterwards fryed in butter ; for 

 then one may make a shift to cat them ; but if you should 

 cat their fatj it would vomit nnd disorder the stomach very 



