cts and quarrels which rage
amongst them, commonly give so peculiar a character to the coast cliffs
of the high north. I first met with true loom and kittiwake fells
farther north on the southern shore of Besimannaja Bay.

Although Gooseland, seen from a distance, appears quite level and
low, it yet rises gradually, with an undulating surface, from the
coast towards the interior, to a grassy plain about sixty metres
above the sea-level, with innumerable small lakes scattered over it.
The plain sinks towards the sea nearly everywhere with a steep
escarpment, three to fifteen metres high, below which there is
formed during the course of the winter an immense snowdrift or
so-called "snow-foot," which does not melt until late in the season.
_There are no true glaciers here, nor any erratic blocks, to show
that circumstances were different in former times._ Nor are any
snow-covered mountain-tops visible from the sea. It is therefore
possible at a certain season of the year (during the whole of the
month of August) to sail from Norway to Novaya Zemlya, make sporting
exclusions there, and return without having seen a trace of ice or
snow. This holds good indeed only of the low-lying part of the south
island, but in any case it shows how erroneous the prevailing idea
of the natural state of Novaya Zemlya is. By the end of June or
beginning of July the greater part of Gooseland is nearly free of
snow, and soon after the Arctic flower-world develops during a few
weeks all its splendour of colour. Dry, favourably situated spots
are now covered by a low, but exceedingly rich flower bed, concealed
by no high grass or bushes. On moister places true grassy turf is to
be met with, which, at least when seen from a distance, resembles
smiling meadows.

In consequence of the loss of time which had been caused by the
delay in sailing along the coast of Norway, and our stay at Maosoe,
we were unable to land on this occasion, but immediately continued
our course along the west coast of Novaya Zemlya towards Yugor
Schar, the weather being for the most part glorious and calm.
The sea was completely free of ice, and the land bare, with the
exception of some small snow-fields concealed in the valleys. Here
and there too along the steep strand escarpments were to be seen,
remains of the winter's snow-foot, which often, when the lower
stratum of air was strongly heated by the sun, were magnified by a
strong mirage, so that, when seen from a dis