296 Arctic and Antarctic Exploration [part i 
There are very few mammals on these desolate islands. 
Polar bears, however, frequent the neighbouring floes in 
considerable numbers, and wander about all the winter. 
The Austrians shot over 60, Nansen 19, and 120 were 
seen by the Jackson-Harmsworth expedition. The Arctic 
hare was not met with, and foxes were very rarely seen 
at "Elmwood," though they made themselves at home 
at Nansen's winter quarters. Bones and antlers of deer 
were found on the raised beaches, and it is not easy 
to account for their presence. They might possibly have 
come with drift-wood. White whales, narwhals, and three 
kinds of seals were seen, and walruses were abundant 1 . 
The snowy owl is a frequenter of Franz Josef Land, 
suggesting the presence of its favourite food, but lemmings 
were not met with. Snow buntings are widely spread 
over the islands, and remain from April to October, and 
the Lapland bunting also comes in smaller numbers in 
May, as well as the shore lark. Brent geese arrive in 
June, but the eider duck is rare. There are ptarmigan, 
first seen by members of the Zeigler expedition. The 
wading birds comprise turnstones, sanderlings, and two 
sandpipers. The ver}^ rare Ross's gull was found by Nansen 
breeding in considerable numbers. The glaucous gull, 
fulmar, kittiwake, and arctic tern also visit the group, and 
the ivory gulls breed there abundantly. The red-throated 
diver comes, but is rare. Looms and dovekies visit the 
southern coast, and the little-auks are numerous. The 
whole number of species of birds visiting Franz Josef Land 
is 23, against 33 in Spitsbergen, and 43 in Novaya Zemlya. 
The Franz Josef group of islands may be considered 
geologically as part of Spitsbergen, both being fragments 
of the same continental land of Jurassic times 2 . The 
Island, at one or two places up Prince Regent's Inlet, and in Novaya 
Zemlya, where it is abundant. Only 2 7 flowering plants have been collected 
in Franz Josef Land, and 25 mosses. 
1 The price of walrus hides has risen since they have been found to 
be the best material for burnishing parts ol bicycles. The steamer Balaena 
was, therefore, sent to Franz Josef Land in 1897, and obtained 500 hides, 
while about 1500 were lost owing to the animals sinking when dead, so 
that this monstrous slaughter amounted to 2000, not counting the number 
of young that must also have perished. 
2 The great depth found by the Sophia to the north of Spitsbergen 
pointed to a deep ocean as existing north of the whole Spitsbergen and 
Franz Josef system. I formed this deduction in 1876, and Nansen's 
discovery afterwards proved it to be correct. 
