Mr. A. Newton on the Birds of Spitsbergen. 209 



gren a visit, on board the vessel of the Swedish Expedition — 

 the 'Axel Thordsen ' ; and he showed me several very interesting 

 birds. First of all, there was a cock Ptarmigan in the flesh, 

 which had been shot many miles away, up the North Fjord of 

 of the Sound, and was the only one he had seen that year. It 

 was still in winter-plumage, but having a very few coloured fea- 

 thers sprouting through the white ones, which, as I have ob- 

 served also in the Ptarmigan of Iceland at the corresponding 

 season. May or early June, were exceedingly soiled. I shall, of 

 course, have more to say respecting this species in the conclu- 

 ding portion of my paper. Next, there were two of the large 

 Geese which I was, as already mentioned, so anxious to examine 

 and identify. One of the specimens I had seen the preceding 

 day among Mr. Malmgren's baggage, and I had then recog- 

 nized it as Anser brachyrhynchus. My opinion was now entii'ely 

 confirmed; and I was pleased to hear that this example had been 

 shot by him from the nest, at Middle-hook — the point of land 

 which divides the North and South Fjords of the Sound. Mr. 

 Malmgren most kindly presented me with two of its eggs ; and 

 I was glad to find that, with that readiness which so well becomes, 

 if it does not characterize, the true man of science, he was dis- 

 posed to reconsider the opinion previously expressed by him, 

 and, in this instance, to agree with me in my determination of 

 the species. Besides these birds, I was also shown a fine Long- 

 tailed Skua (Bufi"on^s), a new addition to the Spitsbergen avi- 

 fauna ; an immature male example of the King-Duck, killed in 

 the Haven ; as well as, if I remember right, an adult specimen 

 of the same species, obtained at Bear Island. Some other in- 

 teresting bird-talk followed, which was again renewed in the 

 evening, when he, with his two companions. Professors Norden- 

 skjold and Duner, came to dinner on board the yacht. 



Next day, the 15th of July, I went again to the underclifi" of 

 the Alkenhorn ; and here I ought to mention that Ludwig, who, 

 during our recent boat-expedition had remained with the yacht, 

 had made two attempts, on as many days, with ropes and some 

 of her crew, to scale its heights, but found this mighty strong- 

 hold of the birds utterly impregnable. On this day, however, 

 he picked up on one of the slopes a Fulmar's egg, which had 



