NO. i.] THE LAST TWO SUMMERS IN THE ICE. 45 



Two of the three specimens were males, the third a female. The males 

 soon began to fight with one another, and on June 9th, one departed. The 

 two birds left behind appeared to pair, and began to show signs of wishing to 

 build; they chased one another as if in play, and were seen flying off with 

 bits of straw, and scraps of wood-wool in their beaks. But as the ship shortly 

 after began to move southwards, and the snow-buntings remained by the 

 refuse-heaps, there was no opportunity of ascertaining whether any nest was 

 actually built. The ship, at that time, was in about 830 N. Lat., or about 

 230 kilometres from the northern point of Spitsbergen. 



Aegialitis hiaticuld, (Lin.) 1766. 



On June 13th, 1896, two specimens of this species were shot north of 

 Spitsbergen, in 82° 59' N. Lat. Both specimens are now preserved (the one as 

 a skeleton) in the Christiania Museum. 



a. Wing, 120 mm.; tail, 60 mm. 



b. Wing, 124 mm.; tail, 56 mm. 

 They were both in usual summer plumage. 



The appearance of this species in the ice far above Spitsbergen, is not 

 without interest, as hitherto only a few scattered individuals have been ob- 

 served upon these islands, and there is no certain knowledge of its having 

 been found breeding there. 



Crymophilus fulicarius, (Lin.) 1766. 



Was observed two or three times during the summer of 1896, in the ice 

 to the north of Spitsbergen. 



On June 10th, two specimens were shot (by JueU) in one shot, in 83° 

 r N. Lat., thus about 250 kilometres north of Spitsbergen. The weather 

 that day was calm and clear, and the wind had been NW for some days. 



On the day following, four more small waders were seen, supposed 

 to have belonged to this species The ship was then a few kilometres 

 farther south. ^ 



• On June 11th, a wader was seen (by Mogstad) flying past the ship. It resembled the 

 above-named species, but seemed to be considerably larger, 



