320 
THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA 
[CHAr. 
succumbing, survive the struggle for existence on the little poor 
archipelago, protected by no mountain heights, from the storms 
of the Polar Sea; but of these species, perhaps a couple seldom 
develop any flowers. The mosses, too, were in great part 
without fruit, with the exception of those which grew on the 
margin, formed of hard clay covered Avith mud, of a pool, filled 
with brackish water and lying close to the sea-margin. A large 
number of pieces of driftwood scattered round this pool showed 
that the place was occasionally overflowed with sea-water, which 
thus appears to haA^e been favourable to the development of the 
mosses. Of lichens Dr. Almquist found a number of species, 
well developed, and occurring in comparative abundance. On 
the contrary, the sea, although the surrounding rocky islands 
indicated a good bottom for algse, was so completely destitute of 
the higher algse, that only a single microscopic species Avas 
found by Dr. Kjoilman. No mammalia were seen, not even the 
usual inhabitant of the desolate rocky islands of the Polar Sea, 
the Polar bear, who, in regions where he has not made acquaint¬ 
ance with the hunter’s ball or lance, in secure reliance on his 
hitherto unvanquished might, seldom neglects to scrutinise the 
newly arrived guests from the tops of high rocks or ice-blocks. 
We saAV here only six species of birds. The first of these that 
attracted our attention was the snow-bunting, which had left 
the more fertile mountain heights of the south to choose this 
bare and desolate island in the Arctic Ocean for its breeding- 
place, and now fluttered round the stone mounds, Avhere it had 
its nest, with unceasing twitter, as if to express its satisfaction 
with its choice. Further, two species of waders, Tringa mari- 
tima and Phalaropios fulicarius, were observed running restlessly 
about the beach to collect their food, which consists of insects. 
The birds that Avere killed often had their crops full of the 
remains of insects, although living at a place Avhere the 
naturalist has to search for hours to find a dozen gnats or their 
equals in size, a circumstance that tells very favourably for these 
