Animal Life in Nova Zembla. 277 



what it can be. On one hand it is stated that the North American 

 lemmings become white in winter, but yet not so completely white 

 as the animals of the weazel genus ; on the other hand it might also 

 be possible that the little animal noticed was a weazel. In Spitzbergen 

 also a little white mammal has been observed, whose systematic deter- 

 mination is uncertain. 



The sea Mammalia are of more importance, and expensive expeditions 

 are yearly fitted out for the purpose of catching them by the inhabitants 

 of the coast of the White Sea; but unhappily the booty is so uncertain 

 that they may be compared to a game at hazard. If the sea is unusu- 

 ally free from ice the losses are very great. One day however may 

 repay the loss of a whole year. For this reason these undertakings 

 have always been renewed for centuries even though they sometimes 

 entirely fail. The result of a fortunate year is usually this, that in the 

 following one too many ships go to Nova Zembla, and either destroy to 

 too great an extent these mostly gregarious animals, or at least scare 

 them away. Thus in the year 1834 some expeditions were very fortu- 

 nate, after a previous cessation ; in the year 1835 about 80 ships went 

 to Nova Zembla, for which maybe reckoned at least 1000 men. In the 

 year 1836 the number of the ships diminished to one half. In the cur- 

 rent year there were hardly more than 20 ships ; but only one, which en- 

 tered the sea of Kara, made a great profit : one or two captured nearly 

 enough to pay the cost of their fitting out, and of the rest the greater 

 part lost far more than a half. 



The most important animal for this chase is the Walrus, and after 

 the Walrus the Dolphin (Delphinus Leucas), known under the name 

 of the white whale, but which is here called Bjelucha or Bjeluga. 

 Among the seals the sea-hare (Morskoi sajaz), Phoca leporina, Lep, 

 Ph. albigena, Pall., but probably not distinct from the Phoca barbata of 

 Fabricius, gives the richest produce, both as regards its size and quantity 

 of fat, as well as its thick skin. Phoca grcenlandica bears among the 

 Russians very different names, according to age and sex : the old full- 

 coloured male is called Luisan or Luisun; the female, Utjalga; the not 

 yet full-coloured animals, of a year old, they call Sjiirunok andSjarka, 

 and the young ones, according to their different colours, Pljachanko, 

 Chochlutschka, Bjaka. But they are not quite accurate in the applica- 

 tion of these names to the young animals, for they also apply them to 

 the young of a third species of seal which occurs here, and which when 

 full-grown is called Nerpa. This seal, occurring everywhere singly on 

 the coast, is probably Fabricius's Phoca hispida. 



A fourth species of seal which belongs to these seas, though not 

 to the coast of Nova Zembla itself, but to the Timanic coast and to the 



