210 Mr. A. Newton un the Birds of Spitsbergen. 



evidently been carried off and sucked by a Fox, a Burgomaster, 

 or a Skua^ and still presented a fair show-surface. I mention 

 this, not only because^ according to Mr. Malmgren^s experience, 

 this bird had previously been known to breed in Spitsbergen 

 only on the north side of Brandy-wine Bay, but because this 

 specimen was the sole oological spoil I obtained from the cliffs 

 of the Alkenhorn. Two of our party again repaired to Coal 

 Bay ; whence they brought some more examples of the *' North- 

 east" or " Mahogany-Birds," as — from their bright bay plu- 

 mage — our sailors got to call Phalaropus fulicarius. 



On the 16th I landed on the east side of Safe Haven to col- 

 lect plants and fossils, some of the rocks which form it being 

 extremely rich in the latter productions. I sent Ludwig over 

 the ridge on a tour of discovery ; and after some time he came 

 back with the intelligence that he had found a Goose's nest 

 containing two young ones only just hatched, and he brought 

 me the shells of the eggs which had been lying in the nest. It 

 was then getting very late, and our Captain, who was of the 

 party, wished to return to the ship. However, I persuaded him 

 to wait while Ludwig went back with another of my friends 

 who had his gun with him (as I, unfortunately, had not) to try 

 and get one of the parent-birds, and at all events to bring away 

 the Goslings. They accordingly set off; but were not successful 

 in the first and principal object, though my friend had two 

 shots at the old birds. I was thus foiled in my attempt to 

 identify the species ; but from the curve of the fragments brought 

 to me by Ludwig, I have little doubt it is the big Goose of the 

 country, and that the Goslings are therefore the young of Anser 

 brachyrhynchus. While waiting about on one of the raised 

 beaches on which the ridge is based, a Skua lit down within a 

 few paces of me, and, disregarding my presence, coolly began to 

 uncover an Eider's nest I had not previously observed. As it 

 was clear the poor Duck would not now profit by her care in 

 concealing her treasure, I took up the single egg it contained ; 

 but even then the voracious bird returned to the spot, and was 

 not satisfied till he had turned all the down out of the hollow 

 in which the nest was formed. This same evening, to our great 

 regret, the Swedish Expedition left Safe Haven in pursuit of its 



