162 THE IVORY GULL. 



fact, undergoing the well-known process of 

 crimping. 



Whenever a life is taken there is an imme- 

 diate assemblage of those vultures of the 

 North, the beautiful ivory gulls {Larus ebur- 

 neus, niveus, glacialis), which seem to be 

 guided to their prey by the same wonderful 

 instinct as the vultures of Africa or the cor- 

 beaux of the West Indies. This is the most 

 beautiful of all the gull tribe, being of a dazzling 

 snowy whiteness, all except his feet and eyes, 

 which are black ; they are perfectly tame and 

 fearless, and flutter impatiently about, or sit 

 on the surrounding ice, and even on the boat, 

 making a harsh disagreeable scream until the 

 flensing is concluded, when they make an 

 immediate onslaught on the carcass ; but so 

 greedy and rapacious are they, that they 

 always commence by fighting and squabbling 

 amongst themselves, as if the huge carcass 

 of a seal or a walrus was not sufficient for 

 them. 



Lord David saw a large bear to-day, but he 

 got the wind of the boat and escaped over the 

 fast ice to the north. There is a large quantity 

 of this fixed ice immediately to the north of the 

 great glacier, and I fancy it is the edge of the 



