SMTZBERGEN AND GRKENI.AXD. 69 



in great flocks together, as the swallows arc when they arc 

 about to hide themselves against the winter. 



They go wabbling from side to side as the divers do ; they 

 cry very loud : Rottet, tet, tet, tet, tet, at first high, and so by 

 degrees lower and lower ; and this their calling or crying is 

 the occasion of their name. They make more noise than 

 any other bird, because their voice is shriller ; but the lumhs 

 in this are not much inferiour to them, although they cry 

 lower ; the burgcrmeister, rathsher, and the whole crew of 

 birds of Spiizhergen, strike in with them, so that one can 

 hardly hear another's words. 



The calling or crying of the rotges amongst one another 

 sounds almost, at a distance, as if you hear a great many 

 women scolding together : they are somewhat bigger than a 

 starling. 



They build their nests in the clifts of the rocks, yet not all 

 of them, for some make their nests upon the hills or moun- 

 tains, of moss, Avhere we found them, and we killed abund- 

 ance of their young ones with sticks. They feed upon the 

 grey worms that are like crawfish, which are delineated 

 hereafter : they also eat the red shrimps or prawns.^ AVe 

 got the first of them on the ice on the 29th day of JMay, and 

 afterwards more of them by Spitzhergen. 



They are very good food, and the best next the strand- 

 runner; are fleshy and fattish ; we boyl and then roast them. 



7. Of the Strunt-jager, or Dung-hunter.^ 



This bird hath a bill somewhat blunt before, and crooked, 

 and is thick ; if I remember, it is black. 



He hath but three claws, which are joyned together with 

 a black skin ; his legs are not very long ; his tayl, which is 

 like unto a fan, hath this mark, that one feather thereof 

 stands out before all the rest : he is black on the top of his 



^ Cramjon Boreas. - The Arctic Skua {Stercorarius parasiticus) . 



