ies of gulls, a snowy owl--which by the way was very
shy--a few lemmings, and the tracks of foxes and of bears.

Microscopic examination of mud obtained from the bottom, in the vicinity
of our anchorage, revealed some shells of foraminifera. The density of
the sea water, and the dip of the magnetic needle were ascertained here,
as well as at other points in the Arctic; and as the observations are
entirely new, I give the results in the accompanying tables. The water
densities are from observations of Mr. F.E. Owen, Assistant Engineer of
the _Corwin_.

The instruments used in obtaining the results were a thermometer and a
hydrometer. Water was drawn at about six feet below the surface and
heated to a temperature of 200 deg. F., and the saturation, or specific
gravity is shown by the depth to which the hydrometer sank in the water.
As sea water commonly contains one part of saline matter to thirty-two
parts of water, the instrument is marked in thirty-seconds, as 1/32,
2/32, etc., and the densities are fractional parts of one thirty-second:

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POINTS OF OBSERVATION. Temperature. Density.
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At Saint Michael's, Bering sea 50 1/4

Off Plover bay, Asia 34 3/4

Arctic ocean, near Bering straits 32 3/4

Arctic ocean, near ice on Siberian coast 32 5/8

Bering sea, off Saint Lawrence island 34 3/4

Golovine bay, Bering sea, July 10 42 1/2

Bering sea between King's island and Cape Prince
of Wales, July 12 44 3/4

Entrance to Kotzebue sound, July 13 47 3/4

Cape Thompson, Arctic ocean, July 17 36 3/4

Icy cape, July 24 36 3/4

Herald island, in the ice, July 30 31 3/8

Cape Wankarem, Siberia, August 5 33 3/4

Wrangel island (surface, in ice), August 12 31 1/2

Wrangel island (below surface 6 feet), August 12 31 5/8

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The following table, showing the dip of the magnetic needle, was
prepared from observations made by Lieut. O.D. Myrick: