112 
THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. 
[chap. 
If a shot be fired at a loomery/’ the fowl fly away in 
thousands from their hatching places, without the number of 
those that are not frightened away being apparently diminished. 
The clumsy and short-winged birds, when they cast themselves 
out of their places, fall down at first a good way before they 
get '' sufficient air” under their wings to be able to fly. Before 
this takes place, many plump down into the water, sometimes 
even into the boat which may be rowed along the foot of 
the fell. 
An unceasing, unpleasant cackling noise indicates that a 
continual gossip goes on in the ''loomery”; and that the 
unanimity there is not great, is proved by the passionate 
screams which are heard now and then. A bird squeezes 
forward in order to get a place on a ledge of rock already 
packed full, a couple of others quarrel about the ownership of 
an egg which has been laid on a corner of the rock only a few 
inches broad, and which now during the dispute is precipitated 
into the abyss. By the beginning of July most of the eggs 
are uneatable. I have seen the young of the size of a rotge 
accompany their mothers in the middle of August. The 
loom breeds on Walden Island and the north coast of 
North-East land, accordingly far north of 80°. I found the 
largest " loomeries ” on Spitzbergen south of Loin me Bay in 
Hinloopen Strait, at the southern entrance to Van Meyen Bay 
in Bell Sound, and at Alkornet in Ice Fjord. In respect to the 
large number of fowl, however, only the first of these can 
compete with the south shore of Besimannaja Bay (72°54'N.L.) 
and with the part of Novaya Zemlya that lies immediately to 
the south of this bay. The eggs of the loom are palatable, 
and the flesh is excellent, though not quite free from the 
flavour of train oil. In any case it tastes much better than 
that of the eider. 
Along with the rotge and the loom two nearly allied 
species of birds, hinnefogeln, the Arctic puffin {Mormon 
