Ethnographic Description of the Eskimo Settlements 335 



Between this settlement and Кар David Gray itself, only 2 to 3 

 kilometers west of the Cape, another winter-house (758) was found 

 in December 1907 by Gustav Thostrup, Tobias Gabrielsen and 

 Hendrik Olsen, but owing to the dark they were unable to in- 

 vestigate it closely. They considered it to be less in ruins and 

 younger than the winter-houses on the east shore of Stormbugt (313 

 to 315 and 317 to 319). Above the fallen-in roof were found 2 nar- 

 whal skulls, the teeth of which had been removed. 



Conclusion. 



In conclusion I shall endeavour to bring together the general 

 impressions I have gained from these earlier Eskimo settlements in 

 North-East Greenland. In doing so, I may remark, that the study 

 of the conditions in the Кар Bismarck district, were the chief work 

 of the Expedition lay, will form the basis of the following almost 

 exclusively. 



Age of the settlement. To form any idea of how long a 

 period the occupation of these regions has extended, is indeed 

 almost impossible, but I venture to think that, to calculate in any 

 way rightly, we must use fairly high numbers. 



From a consideration of the appearance of the winter-houses, 

 I think we can distinguish between tlïree different periods of 

 settlement. Between the oldest and the second period, to judge 

 from the ruins, there has been a long stretch of time — several 

 hundred years! But between the second-last and the latest period 

 the difference in age has not been nearly so great. 



No winter-houses have been found , which might form the 

 transition between the different periods; on the contrary, the boun- 

 daries are even very sharply marked, as already indicated in de- 

 scribing the various remains. It need only be repeated here quite 

 briefly, that the oldest winter-houses are those which are only 

 indicated by a slight elevation of the ground where the walls have 

 formerly stood (fig. 37); in the houses of the second-last period the 

 roof has fallen in and the walls, though still standing, are covered 

 with vegetation and earth (fig. 28); while the houses of the latest 

 period are but little fallen in, and the passage and house-room are 

 not yet filled up or overgrown with vegetation (fig. 44). 



