THE BIRDS OF JAN MA YEN ISLAND. 



any nourishment at all, and must consequently have perished 

 within a short time of its arrival. 



Linota hornemanni is a true arctic species, which is known in 

 Greenland as a resident, and beyond that only in Spitzbergen, 

 Iceland, and now in Jan Mayen. 



The appearance of two species of Bunting is not in the least 

 surprising, as these almost belong to the high north, although 

 only the Snow Bunting, which appears in large numbers, breeds 

 on the Island, while a single example of the Lapland Bunting 

 was found in a flock of Snow Buntings. 



The shore-birds, those voyagers of the air, of which many are 

 almost cosmopolitan, and in the enviable position of spending 

 summer in Greenland, Iceland, Spitzbergen, or Kamschatka, the 

 winter in Africa, the Sunda Isles, or the Moluccas, have also 

 their representatives on Jan Mayen, even if, as it appears, only 

 on migration. Thus Charadrius auratus, Mgialitis hiaticula, 

 Strepsilas interpres, Numenius pliceopus, Tringa maritima, T. 

 cinclus, T. schinzii, and Charadrius arenaria are found on the 

 island. 



Kemarkable is the appearance of Rallus aquaticus, the most 

 northern occurrence of this bird. 



Largely represented both in species and in individuals are 

 the Swimming Birds, which (with exception of the Storm-bird, 

 Fulmarus glacialis, that, with short intervals, remains throughout 

 the winter) spend only the most favourable period of the year 

 on the island, and breed there. It is these species which 

 are met with in North Scandinavia, Novaya Zemlya, Greenland, 

 and Spitzbergen, and in part also breed there. That we were 

 not so fortunate as to obtain eggs of birds breeding on the 

 ground is explained by the fact that the low level places are at 

 all times accessible to the Arctic Fox. 



The observations made by me [Dr. Fischer] at Jan Mayen 

 are reported word for word ; my colleague [Herr von Pelzeln] 

 having taken upon himself the task of reproducing in an unaltered 

 form the notes made on the spot. 



The species of birds observed on Jan Mayen have been 

 tabulated in a summary, along with the species occurring in the 

 high north (Smith Sound and North Polar Basin, Greenland, 

 Iceland, Spitzbergen, Novaya Zemlya, including Waigatsch). 

 [It has not been thought necessary to reproduce this long list 

 of species.— W. E. C] 



