PREOBRASCHENIE ISLAND. 
351 
VIL] 
gradually, and some distance from the coast beautiful mountain 
chains were seen, which, judging by the eye, rose to a height 
of from 600 to 900 metres. They were, like the plains along 
the coast, quite free from snow. Only in the clefts of the 
mountains there remained some few collections of snow or ice, 
which at two places appeared to form true glaciers, which however 
terminated at a considerable height above the sea. The snow- 
free slopes between the foot of the mountain and the shore 
bank, thirty to sixty metres high, formed an even plain, covered 
by a brownish-green turf, probably of the same nature as that 
we saw on Taimur Island. 
During the forenoon we had splendid clear weather, and 
often we could see from the vessel no trace of ice. We saw a 
large number of walruses, and to judge by the fire which this 
sight kindled in the eyes of our hunters, it will not be long 
till the Norwegian hunting voyages are extended to the sea 
north and east of the north point of Asia. We saw besides a 
large number of looms and black guillemots, the former 
accompanied by young of the year, as large as rotges. 
About noon w e sighted '' land ahead to larboard.” It w^as 
evidently Preobraschenie Island. I determined to land on it 
for a few hours to carry on researches in natural history, and 
to fix the position of the place by astronomical observations, if 
the weather should permit. The distance of this high-lying 
island was however greater than we expected. So that it was 
not until six o'clock in the evening that we could anchor off 
its south-west side, near the almost perpendicular face of cliffs 
abounding in sea-fowl. 
During the last tw'o days we had been sailing over a region, 
which on recent maps is marked as land. This shows that a 
considerable change must be made on the map of North Siberia, 
and I shall therefore quote here the observations on which the 
determination of our course is grounded. 
