AN AUTUMN VISIT TO SPITZBEKGEN. 395 



August 30. Lat. at noon, 72 u 55' N., long. E. G. 15° 47'.— 

 The wind shifted to N.W. this morning, still blowing very fresh. 

 A few Fulmars were the only birds I noticed. In the evening 

 squalls and sleet showers. Blowing half a gale during the night. 



August 31.— Still blowing hard, with sleet at intervals, all day. 

 A solitary Puffin and a few Fulmars were the only birds observed. 



September 1. Lat. at noon, 74° 45', long. E. G. 16° 20'. 

 Temperature, 2 p.m., press. 750-9, air 32"9, water 34-34; 8 p.m., 

 press. 752-9, air 30-56, water 34-34.— The wind fell about 4 this 

 morning. Sighted Bear Island, bearing S.E., about thirty-two 

 miles, about 8. Arnesen saw a " Blaa Hval" an hour later, and 

 shortly afterwards we got up to much drift-ice. Had to turn first 

 W. and later to S.W. to get round the riband of ice. About 3.30, 

 just as we reached the westernmost point of the ice, we saw a 

 "Blaa Hval" close to the ice, and the spout of one or more just 

 beyond. Half an hour later we turned N.W., but the light air 

 from the east failing, we had to lower a boat, and tow the "jagt" 

 away from the ice. Saw during the day a good many Fulmars and 

 Kittiwakes, about a dozen Arctic Terns, two or three dozen Little 

 Auks, six or eight Guillemots (most likely Brunnich's), a good 

 many Glaucous Gulls (mostly young of the previous year), and 

 several Skuas (all, I believe, white-breasted Richardson's). 



September 2. Lat. at noon, 74° 42', long. E. G. 15° 50'. 

 Temperature, 2.45 p.m., press. 7 52*5, air 33*8, water 37'4 

 (= Gulf-stream).— Calm continued; drifted a little southwards. 

 An occasional Fulmar, now and then a Kittiwake, and during the 

 forenoon I saw one Brunnich's Guillemot flying about north. 

 While Arnesen was playing his accordion on deck in the evening 

 a Puffin, Fratercula glacialis, as if attracted by the music, flew 

 two or three times round the vessel, and finally settled in the 

 water close to us, and remained there for a long time. 



September 3. Lat. at noon, 75° 27', long. E. G. 16° 47'. Tem- 

 perature, 2 p.m., press. 751, air 35-6, water 32'9; 8 p.m., press. 

 749-5, air 338, water 3236.— A S.W. breeze sprang up at 2 a.m. 

 and continued through the day. At twenty minutes past noon 

 saw a whale spouting two or three miles off on our starboard 

 quarter, and immediately afterwards a smaller whale (the " Blaa 

 Hval" again)— forty feet long or so, at a guess— crossed close 

 under our stern, within gun-shot. Two hours later, saw a pair of 

 Skuas, which were possibly Stercorarius longicaudus, but I could 



