The plutonic rock, of which the hill was formed, was almost everywhere broken up by the action of the frost into angular blocks of stone, so that its surface was converted into an enormous stone mound. The stones were on the wind side covered with a translucent glassy ice-crust, which readily fell away, and added considerably to the difficulty of the ascent. I had previously observed the formation of such an ice-crust on the northernmost mountain summits of Spitzbergen.[246] It arises undoubtedly from the fall of super-cooled mist, that is to say of mist whose vesicles have been cooled considerably below the freezing-point without being changed to ice, which first takes place when, after falling, they come in contact with ice or snow, or some angular hard object. It is such a mist that causes the icing down of the rigging of vessels, a very unpleasant phenomenon for the navigator, which we experienced during the following days, when the tackling of the _Vega_ was covered with pieces of ice so large, and layers so thick, that accidents might have happened by the falling of the ice on the deck.[247] The dredgings here yielded to Dr. Kjellman some algae, and to Dr. Stuxberg masses of a species of cumacea, _Diastylis Rathkei_ Kr., of _Acanthostephia Malmgreni_ Goes, and _Liparis gelatinosus_ Pallas, but little else. On the steep slopes of the north side of Irkaipij a species of cormorant had settled in so large numbers that the cliff there might be called a true fowl-fell. A large number of seals were visible among the ice, and along with the cormorant a few other birds, principally phalaropes. Fish were now seen only in exceedingly small numbers. [Illustration: ALGA FROM IRKAIPIJ. _Laminaria solidungula_ (J G. Ag.). ] Even in the summer, fishing here does not appear to be specially abundant, to judge from the fact that the Chukches had not collected any stock for the winter. We were offered, however, a salmon or two of small size. [Illustration: CORMORANT FROM IRKAIPIJ. _Graculus bicristatus_ (Pallas). ]