A FLYING VISIT TO SPITSBERGEN. 83 



one nest from which most of the eggs had been hatched, but there 

 were a couple left. I came across the nest of a Willow Wren 

 with seven eggs much incubated ; the inside lining was entirely 

 composed of the white feathers of the Willow Grouse. 



The Tromsoe Museum is well deserving of a visit. It contains 

 most interesting collections from northern Norway, Finmark, 

 Spitsbergen, Novaya Zemlya, and other parts of the Polar area. 

 The Museum authorities have exercised a most wise discretion in 

 limiting the collections to illustrate the Natural History, Zoology, 

 and Geology of the far north. 



The coaling of the yacht being completed by 4 a.m. of June 

 28th, we left Tromsoe under steam. The temperature of the 

 water was 53°, and that of the air the same. Our course was 

 through Grot Sund, Kaag Sund, and to the open sea between the 

 islands of Loppen and Arnoe ; the latter, which I estimated at 

 about 1200 feet, has stunted birch-woods growing half way up its 

 sides. By mid-day we were well outside of the islands, meeting 

 with a heavy, confused sea, which continued throughout the day ; 

 the temperature of the water was 47°. The weather, which had 

 looked threatening for some hours past, now turned into a north- 

 west gale with rain and fog, and the wind increased in strength till 

 mid-day of June 29th, when the ship was hove to for a couple of 

 hours. By 4 p.m., the sea having moderated, we proceeded under 

 steam, the air temperature being 39°, that of the sea 40°. At 6 p.m. 

 we got a good observation, which put our position to the eastward 

 of Bear Island. The gale and current had drifted us sixty to 

 seventy miles out of our course, which had been laid for the west- 

 ward of Bear Island. We bore up to pass, if the ice we expected 

 to meet with permitted, between Bear Island and the south cape 

 of Spitsbergen. To our surprise we found the sea to the eastward 

 of Bear Island entirely free from ice, I should think an unusual 

 condition of affairs ; indeed the only piece of ice we sighted was 

 a small berg floating some sixty feet above water. At 3 a.m., 

 June 30th, we sighted Bear Island, bearing west, and we sounded in 

 36 fathoms. Drizzling rain set in ; the temperature of the air was 

 34°, that of the sea 40°. Towards mid-day the weather improved, 

 and we passed through alternate areas of fog and bright sunshine ; 

 the sea had decreased to a long undulating swell. I noted during 

 the day a single Pomatorhine Skua, many Kittiwakes, plenty 

 of Briinnich's Guillemots, Black Guillemots, Glaucous Gulls, 



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