42 COLLETT AND NANSEN. ACCOUNT OF THE BIRDS, [norw. pol. exp. 



They fly with great velocity, and the flocks close together. They make 



a ^strange whistling or vibrating sound when they fly, probably with their 



wings, recalling somewhat the sound of a flying snipe in the spring. This sound 



is so loud, that a flock could be easily heard, even when it was so high that 



it was difficult to see it. 



Nansen has the following remarks about them in his diary: 



March 4th, at 10 A. M. The cliff above the hut was full of little auks, and 

 they flew about, twittering, from one projecting ledge to another, and 

 also sat on the surface of the glacier. When we again came out be- 

 tween 3 and 6 P. M., they had disappeared. 



March 5th and 6th. No little auks were seen while the travellers were out 

 taking a walk in the afternoon. 



March 7th, at about 7 P. M. Two flocks of little auks were seen flying up 

 the fjord, and two flocks were flying out towards the sea, or northward 

 along the coast. 



March 8th, at 9 A. M. Ten flocks of little auks were seen by Johansen 

 while he was out, flying in from the sea. 



March 10th, at 6 A. M. Johansen saw what he estimated to be millions of 

 little auks flying up the fjord from the sea. There was an incessant 

 succession of immense flocks, one after another. "At 2 P. M. when we 

 came out, there was an incessant flight of flock after flock out towards 

 the sea, and this continued until late in the afternoon. Two black 

 guillemots were also seen." 



March Uth, 3 to 7 P. M. No birds were observed. 



March 12th, 10 A. M. The cliff above the hut full of little auks; many flocks 

 were seen passing on their way out towards the sea. 



March 16th, 4 to 7 P. M. The cliff above the hut full of little auks. 



Farther on in the spring, after the middle of March, the flight was less 



regular. They would then appear later in the day, and stay longer on the 



cliffs. Their nesting-time had not commenced when Nansen and Johansen 

 left the winter hut on May 19th (1896). 



The arctic foxes, which had paid daily visits to the hut all through the 

 winter, and had had the audacity to make regular excursions to the roof to 

 take the meat that was stored there, and from which they could hardly be 



