110 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



sequently of little value. Eeturning once more to the Greenland 

 fishing, Capt. Robertson continued his search for Right Whales 

 until the 22nd of August, but without success, and on that day 

 bore up for home. 



The absence of Right Whales in the Greenland Seas is to be 

 attributed to the condition of the ice on their feeding grounds ; 

 it was not only too far north, but, when found, too light to be 

 attractive to these animals. The fact of the landing of the crew of 

 the * Polar Star' on the east coast of Greenland, already referred 

 to, is indicative of a very unusual absence of ice on that shore. 

 Farther east, Dr. Nathorst, in the Swedish ship * Antarctic,' not 

 only made a thorough survey of Bear Island, to the south of Spitz- 

 bergen, but visited White Island, the mysterious Wyche's Island 

 (misnamed King Charles's Land), and other islands in the N.E., 

 and was enabled to circumnavigate the whole of the Spitzbergen 

 group in one season, a feat, I believe, never before accomplished. 

 In the longitude of Charles XII. Islands he reached 81° 14' N. 

 latitude, and is of opinion that had he been a fortnight earlier 

 he might have attained a still higher latitude. Farther west 

 (4° 9' W.) he found the margin of the Greenland pack-ice in 

 78° 1' N. latitude. 



The fact of the ' Balsena ' and two Norwegian vessels again 

 reaching Franz Josef Land is a sufficient indication of the state 

 of the ice farther east. Capt. Robertson says : — " When there 

 is good ice on the east longitude, we have the best chance of 

 fishing ; when we cannot see Spitzbergen from the edge of the 

 ice in lat. 79° N. during May, it is a poor look-out." Such being 

 the case, the failure of the Whale fishery in the exceptional ice- 

 years we have had of late is not a matter of surprise. The ' Polar 

 Star ' brought home with her seventy Walrus, fifty Seals, yielding 

 eight tons of oil, and seventeen Bears ; the ' Balsena,' two hun- 

 dred and fifty-seven Walrus, seven hundred and sixteen Seals, 

 yielding thirty tons of oil, and twenty-two Bears, four of which 

 were alive. The Bottle-nose Whale fishery, which was once so 

 productive, is now quite discarded by the British vessels. 



Three vessels, the ' Eclipse,' ' Diana,' and * Nova Zembla,' left 

 Dundee for Davis Strait, and the 'Active ' made an experimental 

 voyage to Hudson Strait, the result of which was one hundred and 

 fifty Walrus and seventeen Bears. In May and June the ' Eclipse ' 



