Though extremely fetid, the Greenlanders account the flesh of the Mallemukke good food, and eat it either raw or dressed. The fat they burn in lamps. When caught, the Mallemukke not only attacks with its bill, but spurts the blubber out of its mouth and nostrils in the face of its captor. Their flight is a kind of race along the surface of the water. They build their nests on rugged precipices, and at other times seldom come to land. _Larus parasiticus_, or Artic Gull. Bill dusky, and much curved at the end; crown black; back, wings, and tail, dusky; the rest white. The two middle feathers of the tail are three or four inches longer than the rest. The female is altogether brown. Length about fourteen inches. The Artic gull lives almost solely on the fish taken by other birds; to obtain which, it follows and harasses them till they either drop their prey, or vomit with fear; it then devours the residue before it falls into the sea.[22] The Artic gull is frequently taken sleeping on the water. [22] _Faun. Groenl._ p. 104. _Anas mollissima_, or Eider Duck, is sometimes found on the coast of Spitzbergen in vast numbers, especially in winter. Bill black, and somewhat elevated; from the forehead, which is a glossy black, extends a dark purple stripe beyond each eye: neck, body, and tail, a mixture of black and white; legs green. The body of the female is mostly of an iron colour, striped with black; tail of an ash hue. This species is about twice the size of the common domesticated duck, and its body is covered over with a thick coat of valuable down. _Colymbus glacialis_, or Great Northern Diver. Head and neck black; throat and hind part of the neck marked with a semilunar spot of white, and with white streaks, varied with white spots; upper part of the body and wings black, varied with white spots; tail duskish; legs black. Some of them are found three feet five inches long, and weigh sixteen lbs. It makes its nest in the most remote parts of the North, in the islets of fresh water lakes. Each pair possesses a lake. Its sight is keen, flies well, and, darting obliquely, drops safely into its nest. When pursued, it saves itself by diving; but when it has young ones, it does not make its escape, but strives to beat off its enemy with its bill. _Emberiza nivalis_, or Snow Bunting, is found in vast numbers at Spitzbergen, and as it is graminivorous, its frequenting a country so ill provided with vegetables, has justly been regarded as a very surprising phenomenon. It is not a large bird, and its colour varies with the season of the year. As it does not seem necessary to notice the few insects which belong to Spitzbergen, some short account of its discovery is all that now remains for us to treat of regarding it.