DAN MEINERTZHAGEN'S DIARY. 15 



The snow is melting rapidly, and men are about 

 the town with pick-axes, breaking the ice to 

 open up the gutters. We came across a 

 common brown rat dead in the street. 



A Whooper Swan was shot in the fiord 

 to-day, and brought into Hansen's shop where 

 it was sold for 5 kr. 



Tromso, April gth. Very fine and sunny. 

 We went out in a boat, shooting in the fiord, 

 and got five Long-tailed Ducks, a Queen 

 Eider and another Raven. I felt an awful 

 brute shooting the Raven. It came flopping 

 along the shore when we were lying by it. 

 We also saw a Great Northern Diver, but 

 although we got once within 70 yards, we could 

 not get a shot at it. 



The bird stuffer at the Museum is skinning 

 the Eider and Raven for me at 2 kr. each. 

 Two Magpies are nesting in a low tree not 

 2oft. high in the centre of the town by the 

 church. We saw a Sparrow here to-day. 

 I forgot to mention that the first day we were 

 here, we saw two large light coloured Marsh 

 Tits. The Eiders make a cooing noise very 

 similar to that of the King Eiders. We have 

 now bought everything we want, and are quite 

 ready to start to-morrow. It is quite warm here, 

 only freezing at night, and I only hope the snow 



