338 Chu. Bendix Thostiujp 



go further and say, that the most recent winter-houses on Snenæs 

 and Rypefjeldet have been occupied at the time when the sledge- 

 party of Captain Koldewey visited Stormbugt (Кар Bismarck) in 

 April 1870. 



After my return from the Danmark Expedition I learnt that the 

 Museum investigations of Dr. O. Solberg^ had given the result, that 

 the settlement in North-East Greenland is of comparatively recent 

 date. I can quite well understand how this result has come about, 

 but I am nevertheless of the opinion, that the question can only be 

 considered as definitely settled, when a sufficient number of the 

 oldest — ancient — winter-houses in East Greenland have been 

 closely examined. The fact is, indeed, that so much haste is made 

 on expeditions to collect as much as possible in the often very li- 

 mited time, that the places most easy of approach and which promise 

 the most are always attacked the first, and these are in by far the 

 most cases the most recent and least delapidated ruins; consequently, 

 the objects brought home to museums are almost exclusively of re- 

 cent date. 



Unfortunately, the great importance of investigations on the 

 very old, but little promising ruins has only occurred to me too 

 late. Such an investigation was however planned, but the time 

 never permitted me to carry it out, because the Expedition left 

 Greenland in the early part of the summer of 1908. 



Position of the spring, summer and winter settlements in 

 relation to one another. The spring and summer settlements in 

 the Кар Bismarck district, with but few exceptions, lie so close to 

 the winter settlements, that they may practically be considered to 

 be in one locality. Owing to the comparatively narrow stretch of ice- 

 free land, we do not find here that the Eskimos have undertaken 

 annual migrations into the land and back again to the coast. At 

 Rypefjeldet we find an exception, however; as already mentioned, 

 such a migration has occurred here. 



Oldest settlement. At Syttenkilometernæsset the settlement 

 has been occupied the whole year round, but from here the natives 

 have also visited the east coast of Germania Land. 



From Snenæs the Eskimos have migrated in the spring to Storm- 

 næs and its surroundings, which only meant a journey of half a 

 score kilometers over even ice. In summer they have also lived on 

 Snenæs itself. 



The settlements at Sælsøen and on Rypefjeldet have already 

 been discussed (pp. 291—92, 294-95 and 320-21). 



.1 Cf. Soi.bkrg: pp. 17-19. 



