204 
A VOYAGE TO SPITZBEKGEN. 
of the hardy men who risk so much in a pursuit so 
fraught with danger, men of skill and science should 
devote some attention to supply a want so great as 
this. At a time when so much thought and money 
have been expended upon projectiles and ammunition of 
every kind, it surely is hardly fair to the whaler to let 
him go on his dangerous venture with no better weapon 
than that now in use. 
We had worked to the opposite side of Moffen 
Island since our last visit, and being curious about its 
proper bearings, we went on shore for an observation 
and took our compass with us. The result proved 
that we were correct in our conjectures. Here we 
picked up two rare birds (Tringa cinerea). 
Resting upon the beach at some considerable dis¬ 
tance from the water’s edge we saw a whale’s skull of 
rare dimensions. It was in beautiful preservation, 
blanched in the sun’s rays ; the remainder of its bones 
are being gradually covered up in the shingle and 
accumulated debris drifting with the frequent icebergs 
that are driven against the coast; from this cause it 
is easy to see that the island is gradually rising above 
the waves. W^e saw the various inscriptions which 
cover the skull, recording the many visits to the spot 
by Norwegian and other whalers, and we stumbled over 
the vast accumulation of walrus remains collected there 
