( 479 ) 



AN AUTUMN VISIT TO SPITZ BERGEN. 



By Alfred Heneagk Cocks, M.A., F.Z.S. 



(Continued from p. 448.) 



We were so much detained by calms and contrary winds in 

 our little sailing-vessel, during our six weeks' voyage, that our 

 opportunities for observing and collecting were not great. While 

 we saw, on the whole, more mammals than in 1881, the number 

 of birds could hardly have reached one-tenth per cent. ; and while 

 the number of species of mammals actually seen in Spitzber<r e n 

 was less by one (the White Whale) than in 1881, the number of 

 species of birds obtained this year was only thirteen, the species 

 which we believe we saw, but of which we did not obtain any 

 amounting to ten. The mammals met with were - 



Arctic Fox, Vulpes lagopus, Linn.; Norwegian name, "Ecev "— 

 Ubiquitous and numerous. Tracks seen in the snow at the outer 

 end of Green Harbour, and two very tame specimens seen at the 

 inner end (Sept. 9th). A fox had taken up its quarters under the 

 house at Cape Thordsen, tenanted by the Swedish Meteorological 

 Expedition before the date of our visit (Sept. 12th), and seemed to 

 consider himself under their protection. When we communicated 

 with the Expedition again, on Sept. 19th, they told us that they 

 had trapped two foxes in the interval. We watched the movements 

 of one for some time at Sassen Bay, on the 16th, and saw him 

 feeding on a dead Eeindeer-calf. One came within gunshot of the 

 smack on the morning of Sept. 23rd, when we were lying at anchor 

 m Recherche Bay, and a Norwegian white-whaler who followed us 

 into this shelter had two live cubs on board which had the run of 

 the deck, and it was very pretty to watch them, from our smack 

 at play. ' 



Polar Bear, Ursus maritimus, Linn.; Norwegian, "Is-Bjorn "— 

 Some bear-meat in casks at Green Harbour, a skull seen by 

 M. Rabot at Sassen Bay, and a human grave opened by this 

 species at Recherche Bay, were the only signs of this animal met 

 with by us. 



Ringed Seal, Phoca hispida, Schreber ; Norwegian, " Snad."— 

 As last year, a good many were seen while we were on the Spitz- 

 bergen coast, but not enough to be called numerous. 



