340 Chr. Bendix Thostrup 



with heavy, driving ice, both of which conditions demand great 

 skill on the part of the steersman. 



The unfavourable conditions of life, which the land and sea 

 offer, have compelled the Eskimos to utilize every possible chance 

 of hunting, and this has developed their skill in the management 

 of the means of transport. 



Lines of immigration. Assuming that the Кар Bismarck district 

 has witnessed three different periods of immigration, two of which 

 must be considered as occurring independently, with an interval of 

 hundreds of years, the question arises, whether these two streams 

 have followed the same or opposite lines of immigration along the 

 east coast of Greenland. 



Oldest Eskimos, 1st immigration. The winter-houses be- 

 longing to this age were found in the Кар Bismarck district, on 

 Eskimonæsset and on Sophus Müllers Næs, whereas they have never 

 been mentioned by the investigators who have examined the land 

 south of lat. 75° and we may perhaps conclude from this, that 

 houses from the oldest period are only to be found in the Кар 

 Bismarck district and north of this, which would indicate an 

 immigration of the oldest Eskimos from the north. 



There is the possibility, however, that these ancient, but little 

 conspicuous ruins have remained unnoticed in southern regions, 

 where also the vegetation is greater, though they have actually 

 been there. The reason for this, is, that they are so much broken 

 down to the level of their surroundings, that only the purest chance 

 will reveal them to the investigator, and even a quite ordinary 

 vegetation will easily conceal their presence completely. I believe, 

 indeed, that the little vegetation in the regions visited by us has 

 been of considerable assistance in discovering these old ruins. 



Consideration of the bones found by us shows, that the oldest 

 Eskimos at Sælsøen have carried on the musk-ox hunting on so 

 extended a scale, that we may conclude that the principal land 

 hunting of these Eskimos has been concerned with the musk-ox. 

 Concluding from this, that these Eskimos have followed the musk- 

 ox in their migrations, this would also indicate that the oldest 

 Eskimos have migrated to the east coast of Greenland round the 

 north of the land\ as the musk-ox on the north-west coast of Green- 

 land have never been seen to the south of Cape Alexander^. 



It may be remarked, that the set of kayak rests (655) found 

 on the older tenting-ground, Foraarsboplads, seemed to have been 

 intended for a broad, small boat, and that they were quite different 

 •' Cf. Steensby: pp. 396, 400. ^ cf. Steenshy: p. 277. 



