NATURAL AREAS AND REGIONS 



97 



swarm over both coasts as far north as 

 75° N. Culex nigripes and Siviulium 

 viltatum swarm over the copses, moors, 

 and moss-grown slopes and flats; in a 

 few localities the tiny Ceratopogon 

 sordidellus is a plague. Six species of 

 fleas are found. Pediculus capitis, Pedi- 

 culus corporis, and Phthirius ptihis are 

 probably native, while Pidex irrilans 

 and Cimcx lectidaritis have been in- 

 troduced. The fur-clad Eskimos are a 

 paradise for parasites. 



The marine fauna is relativel}^ richer 

 than the land life, and it is largely from 

 these marine fields that the Eskimos in 

 large part garner their sustenance — 

 their food from the flesh, their clothing 

 from the skins and furs, and their fuel 

 from the blubber of the large sea 

 animals. 



Twenty-two species of mammals fre- 

 quent the Greenland coastal waters, 

 not including the polar bear. Of these 

 the walrus and the seals are most im- 

 portant. The walrus is found all along 

 the coast, but is abundant only in a 

 few restricted localities. Five species 

 of seal — the bearded seal {Erignalhvs 

 barbatus), the ringed seal {Phoca foe- 

 tida), the harbor seal (Phoca vilidina), 

 the harp seal {Phoca crisiata), and the 

 hooded seal {Cystophora crisiata) — fre- 

 quent the coast, the 3 latter being most 

 common along the southern coast, the 

 two former along the northern shores. 

 Of the whale and porpoise families 

 sixteen species are found in considerable 

 numbers; the right whale {Balaena 

 glacialis), and the Greenland whale or 

 bowhead (Balaena mysticehis) , are still 

 seen along the coast, but are practically 

 extinct; the humpbacked whale (Megap- 

 tera nodosa), once fairly common, is no 

 longer seen; the bottlenose whale, 

 (Hyperodon rostratus) is a rather fre- 

 quent visitor. The killer whale (Orca 

 gladiator) is common; the narwhal 

 (Monodon monoceras) is numerous, and 

 the beluga (Delphinaptcrus Icucas) mi- 

 grates up and down the coast in huge 

 schools, often of many thousands. 



Though 150 birds have been recorded 

 from Greenland, only 52 are known to 



nest on the island. Of these, 41 species 

 are shore-birds or sea-birds, frequenting 

 either the coastal waters or the sea, or 

 less frequently the pools of the interior. 

 The loons, ciders, phalaropes, old- 

 squaws, snow-gecse, and mergansers 

 are often found in these inland pools; 

 and the sandpipers, knots, plovers, 

 sandcrlings, turnstones, and others of 

 the shore-bird group frequent the val- 

 lej's and lowlands as well as the coastal 

 forelands. The barnacle goose and the 

 black brent are locally common. 



But the wealth of bird-life for which 

 the Greenland coasts are famous is 

 made up chiefly of the sea-birds. Most 

 numerous of these are the dovekies 

 (Alle alle), which nest along the north- 

 western coasts in incredible numbers; 

 the murres (Uria iroille iroille, and 

 Uria lomtia lomvia) populating nearly 

 all the high, precipitous forelands; and 

 the guillemots (Cepphus grylle and C. 

 mandtii), the latter most common north- 

 ward, the former abundant southward. 

 The cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) 

 is found locally along the western coast 

 from 73° N. southward; the puffins, 

 (Fraterctda arctica arclica and F. a. 

 naumanni), are fairly common; and the 

 razor-billed auk is locally abundant. 



The gulls are numerous — the glaucous 

 gull, the ivory gull, the black-backed 

 gull, the herring gull, Kumliens gull, 

 the kittiwake, and Sabine's gull, are all 

 native to the coast. The Arctic tern 

 is common along most of the coast. 

 The fulmars are likewise common. The 

 jaegers are all found along the Green- 

 land coast. 



The fish fauna is relatively rich in the 

 south Greenland waters. The sleeping 

 shark is generally common; the cod and 

 rock-cod are found off the southern 

 coast; the halibut, dab, and the related 

 "hellefisk" (Reinhardlius kippoglossoidcs 

 Wall)) are also common along the south- 

 ern portion of the coast. The sculjiin is 

 found everywhere. The caplin, as on 

 the coast of the Labrador, fills the 

 coastal waters early in sunnner. 



The lower forms of sea-life are locally 

 so numerous in the ice-free, sunlightcd 



