NATURAL AREAS AND REGIONS 



89 



The muskox {Ovibos moschatus wardi) 

 is extinct along the Greenland shores 

 of Smith Sound though still common 

 in Ellesmereland, Grantland, and west- 

 ward. The caribou {Ranrjifer groelandi- 

 cus), though still fairly abundant, is 

 generally restricted to a few isolated 

 areas not readily accessible. The fact 

 seems fairly well established that the 

 caribou migrate across the ice-cap to 

 Northwest Greenland from the east 

 coast and the regions to the north. 

 The Arctic hare (Lcpus groenlandicus) 

 is widely distributed and common. 

 The blue fox and the white fox (Alopex 

 groenlandicus) are abundant in the 

 bird-cliff localities where they feed 

 upon both the eggs and the birds. They 

 are color phases of one species, both 

 occasionally being littered by the same 

 dam. The Arctic wolf [Canis tnndrarum 

 is almost exiinct, and the lemming and 

 the ermine do not frequent this part 

 of the Greenland Coast. T e muskox, 

 caribou and hare feed upon the willows, 

 grasses, and small herbs; the wolf and 

 fox feed upon the muskox and the 

 caribou. 



The sea animals, because of the ample 

 supply of food, are very numerous. 

 Four species of seal — the rirged seal, 

 the bearded seal, the hooded seal, and 

 the harp seal — are all rather common, 

 though the ringed seal is by far the 

 most abundant. The walrus frequents 

 the coast during the whole year, es- 

 pecially when the mussel-shoals furnish 

 good feeding grounds. The narwhal 

 and the white whale are numerous. 

 The killer whale and the bowhead, and 

 occasionally the right whale, visit the 

 coast. The sleeper shark feeds over 

 the deeper bottom. Fish are few. 

 Salmon are caught along shore and in 

 some of the inland lakes. 



Mollusks are particularly abundant 

 and number upwards of 72 species. 

 These are all marine, no land or fresh 

 water species having been reixirted from 

 this part of Greenland. These are all 

 of Arctic forms, including Buccinuni, 

 Astarte, and Saxicava as leading types. 



The polar bear {Thalarclos m. mari- 



timm), an animal of both land and 

 sea, is as much at home out on the 

 open sea among the icebergs as along 

 the shore. He avoids all habitations 

 of man, particularly when tlierc are 

 dogs about. Keen of scent and of all 

 perceptions, as well as of intelligence, 

 the polar bear is certainly the most 

 superb animal of the North, though 

 not nearly so dangerous as the walrus. 



NOTES 



Northwest Greenland is accessible 

 almost every j-ear between July 20 and 

 September 10. The outermost capes 

 and islands may be reached by ships 

 as early as July 1, but the innermost 

 bays and fjords do not open up before 

 August 1. 



The plant life may best be studied 

 from Etah on Foulke Fjord; Kangerd 

 luksuah deep within Inglefield Gulf; 

 Keatek on Northumberland Island at 

 the mouth of Inglefield Gulf; and at 

 Umanak on North Star Bay, in Wol- 

 stenholme Sound. 



Of these places Umanak is probably 

 best, though because of the very loca- 

 lized occurrence of many species, a 

 complete collection is impossible from 

 any one point. For a critical study of 

 the Arctic Drabae in the field, Umanak 

 is unexcelled, since nearh" everj' species 

 of far northern distribution is found 

 there in abundance. For a study of 

 the immigration of American species, 

 Etah is probably most favorably situ- 

 ated. It is interesting that at Etah, 

 Pedicularis hirsuta and Pedicularis 

 capitata are abundant; but Pedicularis 

 lanata is entirely lacking; at Lifeboat 

 Cove onl}^ 5 mi. north, Pedicularis 

 hirsuta and Pedicularis lanata are num- 

 erous, but Pedicularis cajnlata is quite 

 absent. The cariccs may be best 

 studied at Kangerdluksiiah. 



The sea-animals may be best studied 

 from Akpat on Saunders Island or from 

 Keatek on Northumberland Island. 

 The land animals maj' be best studied 

 from Etah. Umanak affords the most 

 favorable base for the ornitliologist 

 to study both land- and sea-birds; 



