This Arctic island between Norway and Spitzbergen has a low summer temp.; the temp. of lakes and among plants is several degrees higher than that of the air. The humidity is high, probably accounting for the abundance of mosses and lichens, and of Collembola and Acarina. Flying insects are active only on the very few warm days. The Arthropods are classified into 4 habitat groups which do not correspond with the plant communities. The avifauna and part of the arthropod fauna are more southern in character than that of Spitzbergen although some more northern arthropod types are present. All of the fauna could have colonized post-glacially, aerially or on the ice, although a few Arthropods might represent a pre-glacial element. Colonization is still continuing. The number of spp. present is low, but their abundance is often great. Arctic foxes, together with extent of inaccessible nesting-sites, may limit the number of guillemots and eiders, but the severe and fluctuating climate, affecting both mortality and fecundity, may be responsible for the reduced predator-prey relationships. An appendix lists as occurring on the island the following numbers of spp.: mammals, 2; birds, possibly breeding, 26; fish, 1; Collembola, 14; Trichop-tera, 1; Lepidoptera, 1; Coleoptera, 5; Hymenoptera, 8; Diptera, 22; Branchiopoda, 7; Araneida, 1; Acarina, 32. Some indication of relative abundance is also given.