324 TWO TAME LEMMINGS. \JunC, 



from the National Museums. Events seldom occur sin- 

 gly : I had not moved from my soft gravel bed, having 

 reloaded, when two other furred animals came to inquire 

 the cause of disturbance -. one literally ran into my hand, 

 and the other was taken by my attendant. These were 

 two fine specimens of lemming, much resembling moles. 

 Sauntering about, I found, on the very edge of the pre- 

 cipice, a very large vertebra of whale, which I have since 

 discovered to have been carried up the mount last season 

 by some of Commander Richards's party for a mark. 

 Descending to the beach to determine the latitude, 

 which I found to be 77 3' N., I continued sauntering 

 about this flat, examining the variety of mineral bodies 

 and fossils here collected and freed from their matrix; 

 not varying, however, from those of Depot Point, ex- 

 cepting that the madreporites here more frequently pre- 

 sented the chalcedony or flinty state. On reaching the 

 pile erected here, I remarked three other vertebrae, much 

 larger and very different to that on the cliff, these hav- 

 ing their projecting processes complete, and of a dark, 

 dirty greenish colour; that noticed at the summit was 

 much bleached. The temperature, under a very oppres- 

 sive sun, ranged between 28 and 32 in the shade, the 

 water still making, and ice off-shore in motion. About 

 two (having maintained myself independent in the boat 

 since the return of the tent) I endeavoured to recover 

 some of the lost sleep, but without success ; and at four 

 P.M. commenced our lower beacon, removing or con- 

 structing a duplicate further out, in connection with the 

 mark seen at the base of Star Bluff. 



June 20. (Six P.M., temp. 28.) We now pushed for- 



