VOYAGE THROUGH THE KARA SEA 159 



resembled the upper one with its steep ledges, and had 

 evidently been formed in the same way — by the action of 

 the sea, and more especially of the ice. Like the upper 

 one, they also were most marked on the west and north 

 sides of the island, which are those facing most to the 

 open sea. 



To the student of the history of the earth these marks 

 of the former level of the sea are of great interest, show- 

 ing as they do that the land has risen or the sea sunk 

 since the time they were formed. Like Scandinavia, the 

 whole of the north coast of Siberia has undergone these 

 changes of level since the Great Ice Age, 



It was strange that we saw none of the islands which, 

 according to Nordenskiold's map, stretch in a line to the 

 northeast from Kamenni Islands. On the other hand, I 

 took the bearings of one or two other islands lying almost 

 due east, and next morning we passed a small island far- 

 ther north. 



We saw few birds in this neighborhood — only a few 

 flocks of geese, some Arctic gulls {Lestris parasitica and 

 L . biiffonii), and a few sea-gulls and tern. 



On Sunday, August 20th, we had, for us, uncommon- 

 ly fine weather — blue sea, brilliant sunshine, and- light 

 wind, still from the northeast. In the afternoon we ran 

 in to the Kjellman Islands. These we could recognize 

 from their position on Nordenskiold's map, but south 

 of them we found many unknown ones. They all had 

 smoothly rounded forms, these Kjellman Islands, like 



