30 BULLETIN 113, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



others, however, being still hard and possessing a fresh appearall p e robaW y 

 feathers, of which only a few were found, are snowy white and have p 

 fallen from the brooding bird. Some -portions of tbe.algae were dry, era P 

 leaves and stalks of seaweed. Only a few bits of a lichen were found, w 

 appear to have got in accidentally.' 



A most interesting account of the home life of this species in 

 Franz Josef Land is published by Mr. W. Eagle Clarke (1898), in 

 which he quotes ^rom the journal of Mr. "William S. Bruce ? pf the 

 Jackson-Harmsworth Expedition, as follows : 



August 7. To-day we landed at Cape Mary Harmsworth, and the first, thing 

 we noted was an immense number of ivory gulls, and from their demonstrations 

 and shriekings it soon became evident that they were nesting. As we traveled 

 across the low-lying spit we found this was so. Here there are 5 or 6 square 

 miles or more of fairly level ground, more or less terraced, being evidently a 

 series of raised beaches. This, if not the largest, is one of the; largest, areas of 

 bare ground in Franz Josef Land. Beyond a few lichens and occasional patches 

 of moss there is very little vegetation, only two flowering plants being, found — a 

 saxifrage and a grass, and these very sparingly, indeed. There is very little 

 actual soil, and the surface is rough and rugged with large stones. Scattered 

 all over it are numerous fresh-water ponds, the largest of them perhaps 200 

 yards across. The first signs of the ivory gulls' nests were patches of old moss 

 every here and there, which at first we could not make out. As we advanced we 

 saw more of these patches, and these seemed more compact. On approaching 

 closer to these the birds made still more vehement demonstrations, swooping 

 down upon us and giving vent to their feelings by uttering a perfectly deafening 

 shriek close to our heads. 



Once in the midst of their nests — for these patches of moss were their 

 nests — we had many hundreds of birds around us, first one swooping down to 

 within a foot of our heads, and immediately after another. In some cases they 

 actually touched us, and in one instance knocked the hat off a man's head. 

 Most of the nests were empty, owing to the late date ; but here and there was a 

 single egg, and in two nests I found two eggs. Going on through this gullery 

 we found that near certain nests, which were apparently empty, the birds made 

 even more violent demonstrations than before, and in looking carefully about 

 we descried a young ivory- gull in its greyish-white downy plumage, and hardly 

 visible against the stones, which were of a very similar color. Even the older 

 ones, which were more whitish, were difficult to see among the stones. These 

 young birds would sit crouched in between two or three large stones, and one 

 might at first sight take them for stones also. On picking up a young bird the 

 parents became quite distracted* and threatened us more vehemently than ever. 

 By-and-by we passed out of this gullery, but further along we could see others, 

 each with many hundreds of these birds, and we advanced toward them. The 

 gullery we left gradually became quiet; -but the birds in the one which we 

 were approaching were beginning to demonstrate in the same way as those at 

 the last. The cries became louder and louder, and in a few minutes we were 

 again in the midst of the deafening shrieks of a host of terrified yet defiant 

 birds. Again they swooped down upon us, and it seemed quite likely that at 

 any moment they might dash into our faces. So we passed on from gullery to 

 gullery among many thousand of these birds. It was a magnificent sight; the 

 sun was shining brightly in a blue sky, the air was clear, and these handsome 

 birds in their pure white plumage added brilliancy to the scene. Each nest 



