171 
Birds of Western Spitsbergen. 
way three eggs of the Little Auk were obtained. Some of the 
Black Guillemots were breeding in rocks a mile or two inland; 
but we only procured one egg of this species, which we obtained 
from a bird we shot. The BriinnidPs Guillemots were in im¬ 
mense profusion, constantly wheeling about in large flocks, day 
and night. The Snow Buntings were not plentiful, but we 
frequently heard their cheerful note, as they flew from one rock 
to another; their plumage was as yet only partially changed: 
their nests seemed very difficult to find; we only got one, which 
had five eggs. 
The Purple Sandpiper ( Tringa maritima, Briinn.) was very 
abundant in Coal Bay (on the south side of Ice Sound, so named 
on account of a small quantity of poor coal being found there), 
and we found four of their nests on the high fjeld. Beautiful 
little nests they were, deep in the ground, and lined with stalks 
* of grass and leaves of the Dwarf Birch ( Betula nana, L.), con¬ 
taining mostly four eggs of an olive-green, handsomely mottled 
with purplish brown, chiefly at the larger end. We watched 
this elegant little bird—the only one of the Grallatores we saw— 
with much interest, as it waded into some pool of snow-water or 
ran along the shingle, every now and then raising its wings 
over its back and exhibiting the delicate tint of the under-side, 
at the same time uttering its loud shrill whistle. 
Of the beautiful snow-white Ivory Gull ( Pagophila eburnea , 
Kaup) we saw only six or seven individuals; and though both 
the examples we killed had their bellies bare of feathers as in 
sitting birds, all our endeavours to find where they were breed¬ 
ing failed. Our crew informed us that no one had ever found 
their eggs or knew where they made their nests; they also 
asserted that the “ Ice Gull ” was never seen except upon ice, 
and in only one instance we found this statement to be in¬ 
correct. 
In this fjord a large species of Goose was very common, and 
we found them breeding mostly on low rocks near the coast; 
but some seemed to have their nests in the high cliffs a mile or 
two from the sea. We obtained some specimens both of birds 
and eggs, but unfortunately neglected to preserve the skins of 
the former; we cannot, therefore, be positive as to which spe- 
