NOTES OF A NATURALIST ON SPITZBERGEN. 413 



Baron Nordenskiold gives Temminck's name, Anser bernicla, as 

 the " Barnacle Goose," a confusion which I have not seen noticed 

 in any of the reviews of this most interesting book. The plumage 

 of this species in summer appears slightly ruddier than in winter, 

 owing to their upper coverts being fringed with rusty brown. 



13. Pink-footed Goose {Anser brachyrhynchus, Baillon).— 

 We met with this species at each of the localities we landed at ; 

 at least on the beach at Green Harbour, July 27th, we saw a pair 

 of " Grey " Geese, which we were unable more particularly to 

 identify, but as this is the only " grey " species known to occur in 

 Spitzbergen, there is no reason to doubt that they were referable 

 to this species. Chapman found about three pairs with goslings 

 at Magdalena Bay (July 29th) ; he found their droppings and a 

 quantity of their long quill-feathers strewn thickly about at the 

 top of the debris under the precipitous cliff, and which doubtless 

 indicated the site of their nests. Some of the goslings, in the 

 yellow downy state, were caught and brought on board alive, 

 where, however, they did not long survive. We were told that the 

 Pink-footed Goose is capable of defending its young from the 

 Arctic foxes* The birds of this species were more advanced in the 

 moult than the Brent, and had recovered the use of their wings. 



14. Eider Duck {Somateria mollissima, Fleming). — Very 

 numerous, though very possibly, as suggested by Prof. Newton 

 (loc. cit., p. 516), " decreasing in numbers, owing to the perse- 

 cution it undergoes." Chapman believed them to be " somewhat 

 smaller and paler in colour than our home-birds." t I have no 

 adult British specimen with which to make a comparison ; two 

 birds of the year which I have, killed in Shetland in September, 

 are decidedly darker than my Spitzbergen ducks, but the latter 

 appear to be absolutely similar to a Norwegian specimen. The 

 two forks of Bell Sound were, I think, the only localities where 

 we actually found them nesting. On the Axel Islands, in the 

 north fork, their eggs were plentiful (July 31st). Ducks were 

 numerous several miles inland to the east of Green Harbour 

 (July 27th). The ducks— even when they were not, so far as we 

 were aware, engaged in the duties of nesting — were, as a rule, very 

 tame, and easy to shoot, but the drakes, which generally were 



* Nordenskiold believes this to be the case. ' Voyage of the Vega,' i., 126. 

 t On this and some other slight differences Professor Malmgren founded 

 his Somateria thulensis. — Ed, 



