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



Stercorarius poniatorhinus, (Temm.) 1815. 



This species was observed repeatedly in the middle of June, 1896, in 

 the ice north of Spitsbergen, as a rule in small flocks of from three to six birds, 

 but once in a large flock of nearly twenty. Two specimens were shot, and 

 minutely described in Dr. Blessing's journal. 



As early as June 13th, a skua was seen that had "a forked tail", and 

 was probably a young bird of this species. 



On June 19th (82° 57' N. Lat.), four appeared together, and one of them 

 was shot by Mogstad. The length of the wing is stated by Dr. Blessing 

 to have been 340 mm.; the middle tail-feathers extended 60 mm. beyond 

 the others. 



On June 21st (82° 53' N. Lat.), a straggHng flock of about sixteen 

 birds, all of the same species, was seen, and one of them was shot by Capt. 

 Sverdrup. 



Both the specimens shot were old birds, and fully coloured. 



It is, on the whole, surprising to find this species comparatively nume- 

 rous in the ice far to the north of Spitsbergen. It has hitherto only been 

 known as a sporadic visitant of Spitsbergen. 



Fulmarus glacialis, (Lin.) 1766. 



The first fulmar in 1895, north-east of Franz Josef Land, appeared on the 

 30th May. Subsequently they were seen now and again, singly or two 

 together, but scarcely more than twenty specimens in all in the course of the 

 summer. Six of these were shot, all in a latitude above 84° 30' N. One 

 of them was shot by Blessing on June 16th. Before it died, it vomited the 

 contents of its stomach, which proved to be the jaws and portions of the body 

 of a cephalopod (84o 52' N. Lat.). In other specimens, only crustaceans were 

 found. 



The last Fulmarus glacialis of this year was seen on September 14th, 

 and was the last bird observed that autumn. On that day, the 'Fram' was 

 m 85° 5' N. Lat., 79° 0' E. Long., and this is the highest latitude in which 

 birds have ever been Jcnwvn to be observed. 



