NOTES OP A NATURALIST ON SPITZBERGEN. 327 



the various adventures of the different parties ashore, no one was 

 up much before 1 p.m., so can say nothing about the birds passed 

 during the morning ; but the usual birds were about when at last 

 we went on deck. We were then off the northern part of Prince 

 Carl's Foreland, having left Green Harbour at 4 a.m. We put in 

 to King's Bay about 3 p.m., but turned round and steamed out 

 again without anchoring, as we understood that it was not a good 

 locality for sporting purposes. We proceeded north to Magdalena 

 Bay, where we anchored about 8 p.m. We found a schooner, 

 ' Hvitfisken,' lying here, employed, as her name implies, in the 

 White Whale " fishery." On going by boat to pay her a visit 

 we found skins of White Whales floating all round her, which 

 were left in the water as long as the ship remained in port, to get 

 rid of as much of the blood and oil as possible. The next thing 

 we noticed as we pulled round her counter was a leg of bear 

 hanging over the stern, for want of a larder. Her crew had killed 

 two bears in Bell Sound on their arrival there in May, and this 

 was a joint belonging to one of them. The skins were on board in 

 a cask of pickle, and were bought by two of our party. The deck, 

 and everything on board was thickly coated with blubber, and it 

 was quite difficult to keep one's footing in consequence. Swimming 

 about amongst the White Whales' skins, quite close to the vessel's 

 sides, and devouring the " spek" they thence obtained, were swarms 

 of Fulmar Petrels. They were as tame as ducks in a farm-yard 

 pond, and having borrowed a fishing-line and hook, and baiting with 

 a scrap of blubber,we found we could catch tbem as fast as we liked. 

 I possessed myself of three vigorous specimens, purposing to bring 

 them home for the Zoological Society. With Lowson's assistance I 

 got them safely on board tbe 'Pallas,' where one of the sailors told 

 me I could just turn them down on deck in the waist of the ship, 

 for they are quite incapable of rising off a fiat surface like a deck, 

 and this I found perfectly true ; but unfortunately there was a 

 gangway on each side in the waist, and these being opened the 

 birds, when my back was turned, were quietly invited through 

 them by some of the crew, so I lost them all, the men, I suppose, 

 not caring for the extra trouble that would be incurred in deck 

 cleaning. The ' Hvitfisk,' we were told, had a full cargo of 

 250 White Whales, said to be worth ^1500 (I do not know whether 

 this is correct or not), besides Seals and a lot of Eider-down. 

 They catch both the White Whales and Seals in enormously 



