3814 The Zoologist — January, 1874. 



observed the species in East Fiord again ; one in Lomme Bay ; 

 a few nacre between Cape Torell and Low Land ; and another oflF 

 Hakluyt's Headland. They did not appear to have bred in any of 

 these places, nor did we see any young of the year, though the 

 adults were in pairs. 



Procellaria glacialis (Fulmar Petrel). — The molly is such a 

 well-known bird that there is no occasion to say much about it. 

 They appeared to be breeding at Cape Fanshawe and in Wiide 

 Bay ; but we got no eggs. 



Bernicla Brenla, Staph. (Brent Goose). — This bird goes by the 

 name of "rein-goose" in Spitsbergen, not without good reason 

 apparently, as I will presently show. The Swedes told us at Mossel 

 Bay that rein-geese breed on the uplands early in the season, where 

 they fly about in couples; and observed that the nests are not easily 

 found. As soon as they see that their belter halves have become 

 hopelessly involved in the cares of the nest, the ganders pretend 

 that they are called away on business, and go to the lakes, where 

 they have a fine time of it. But the eggs arc hatched before very 

 long, and then they have the goslings to look after. They cannot 

 get out of their responsibility, for their whole family comes down 

 to the water, and, moulting supervening, they are for some time in- 

 capable of flight. When they are tired of one lake they walk over 

 land to another without incurring much risk on the passage ; for 

 though they are unable to fly, cannot they run ! Lieut. Chermside 

 found an egg, which he ate, at Bear Hole, in Verlegen Hook (mis- 

 spelt " Vertegen" in the Admiralty charts), on the 3rd of July, and 

 some of the men killed two goslings with stones in Wiide Bay on 

 the 1 9th. At Green Harbour, in Ice Fiord, on the 8th of September, 

 we saw several large flocks of brent geese at considerable heights 

 in the air, flying towards the sea. One morning, when we were in 

 Mossel Bay, we were roused by the watch at an unusually early 

 hour, who announced that there were twenty or thirty deer by the 

 shore washing themselves in the sea. Field-glasses and telescopes 

 were brought to bear upon the dark moving objects, and two boats 

 were lowered immediately to take ashore the three eager sportsmen 

 and the captain, all anxious to secure some of these, the first rein- 

 deer we had met with. Ascending to the crow's-nest soon after 

 they had left the ship, I saw through the ship's glass what was 

 taking place, and anticipated the results of the drive. It was 

 evidently nothing but a wild-goose chase ; so 1 made ray way down 



