Dee. 22, 1881 | 
more than a mere narrative of the voyage of which he 
was the organiser and commander. Not only does he 
give an exhaustive account of all previous voyages in 
these regions, but enters into the amplest details as to the 
scientific results achieved up to the present time. The 
work is thus a mine of unusual richness for the student of 
science, while itis so written as to be not only intelligible 
but delightful to any ordinary intelligent reader. As the 
Vega pursues her course, the leader stops every now and 
then to tell his readers of the voyages associated with a 
particular region, or of the knowledge we have of its 
geography, geology, and biology. Many matters of the 
widest scientific importance thus come to be introduced, 
and questions discussed of burning interest in various 
departments of science. In following the course of the 
Vega we shall attempt to give our readers some faint idea 
of the riches stored up in these two volumes. 
The Vega was accompanied by the Zeva as far as the 
mouth of the river of that name, for the commercial 
navigation of which she was destined, and part of the | 
y 
NT 
Ii 
Jee 3 
a) 
AM 
¢ 
Fic. 4.—Umbeilula from the Kara Sea. 
way by the Fraser and Express as tenders. 
round from Karlskrona, the expedition left Tromsoe on 
July 21, 1878. At Moosoe, near the North Cape, it was 
discovered that cloudberries and rum formed an excellent 
antidote to scurvy, and a stock was laid in, and whether 
from their use or from the carefully regulated diet on 
board the Vega, of which details are given, there was not 
a trace of scurvy during the whole voyage, and indeed no 
illness at all to speak of. As he rounded the corner of 
Europe, the Baron stops to tell us of early voyages in this 
direction, of Othere, whose story was told by King Alfred, 
Willoughby and Chancellor, Pet, and Jackman, and others. 
and to show us some old maps in which the coast is rudely 
laid down. The work is specially rich in maps from the 
tenth century down, including a large scale map of the 
north coast of Europe and Asia, in which the Vega’s data 
have been incorporated. The vessels vendezvoused at 
Yuger Schar, between Waygats Island and the mainland 
on July 31. And here opportunity is taken of telling us 
all that is known about the Samoyeds of the island and 
mainland, from the earliest voyages down to the visit of 
the Vega, with abundant illustrations. Then follows a 
NATURE 
Coming | 
181 
chapter of the greatest possible interest on the animal 
world of Novaya Zemlya, which becomes really an 
account of Arctic zoology. First we have a complete 
account of the birds, with wealth of illustration, The 
variety is wonderful, and evidently the habits of the 
interesting creatures have been carefully studied by Baron 
Fic. 5 —Hairstar from the Taimur Coast (three-fifths of natural siz-). 
Nordenskjold. Here, for example, is a graphic picture, 
with its accompanying illustration (Fig. t):— 
“Often during summer in the Arctic regions one hears 
a penetrating shriek in the air. When one inquires into 
the reason of this it is found to proceed from a kittiwake, 
more rarely from a glaucous gull, eagerly pursued by a 
bird as large as a crow, dark-brown, with white breast 
