24 . 0. Nordgaard. [No. 8 



These figures give an idea how natural coiiditions appear in such 

 a shut-ofF basin at wintertime. — 



That there is great difference between the Vestfjord and the 

 Malangen as to fauna is beyond doubt. Even such a genuine arc- 

 tic cumacé as diastylis goodsiri I took specimens of in Malangen 

 fjord (Apr. 14th, 1899, 100—200 m.), while this species has not ap- 

 peared in the Vestfjord, which also has been hetter investigated. 

 Most of the fjords in Finmark and especially in Tromso county 

 have been so well studied as to zoology, that we can form an 

 opinion about the faunistic character of these fjords. — On m.y ex- 

 pedition in the winter of 1899 I partly found forms new to the 

 fauna, forms hitherto only found in high-arctic latitudes. I may 

 thus mention the variety described by Levinsen of smittia trispi- 

 nosa (var. arborea Levinsen). The latter had been previously 

 tåken in the Kara Sea. I found it in the Porsanger fjord between 

 Great and Little Tamso. Further alcyonidhim disciforme. Smitt, 

 in the Lyngen fjord, and the genuine arctic myriotroclius rinJcii in 

 Kvænangen, Lyngen and Jokelfjord. Finally may be mentioned 

 cottuncuhis microps, Coll., from Lyngen, and asterias stcllionura, 

 Pere. inside the riff in the Kanstadfjord. — By the bye I will observe 

 that the material produced by trawliiig has not yet been worked 

 through, as is also the case with the plankton gathered. As to the 

 vertical distribution of the plankton an observation was made that 

 perhaps will give the key to the explaining of a practical object. 

 While in the Vestfjord the animal plankton is most spare in the 

 upper layers (0 — 50 m.) at wintertime, there was partly found 

 in the winter of 1899 a quantitatively rich plankton in the very 

 surface. In Lyngen fjord (Jan. 27th, abreast of Skibotten) it thus 

 swarmed with ccdaims finmarchicus in the surface. Temperature 

 was at this place as before stated P^l from surface to bottom 

 (118 m.) and salinity likewise throughout the whole layer 33,87. 

 The same wholesale appearance of ccdanus finlvarchicus in the sur- 

 face also occurred on Jan. 24th in Kvænangen, where likewise 

 great uniformity of physical conditions prevailed. — 



When temperature and salinity are uniform from surface to 

 bottom, it might reasonably be expected that the pelagic animal 

 world was somewhat equally distributed under such a condition. 

 It consequently provod to be the case, and it may be this cir- 

 cumstance that causes the herring to go so high up in the water 

 at wintertime, that it may be shut in by seines. The fjords 



