10 



August Krogh and Marie Kro(;h. 



During the first three series we had the advantage of the con- 

 tinuous arctic day and a comparatively high temperature but during 

 the last experiment we were obliged to use artificial light at night. 

 On one night we had a considerable fall of snow and on another the 

 temperature came so near to zero that we began to entertain fears 

 for the water in the gas meter. The increasing darkness and the fall 

 in temperature prevented us from doing any more experiments. 



When on the 15th August we began to take down the camp and 

 pack the samples for shipment we could, moreover, expect the steamer 



on which we should return 

 almost any day. It arrived in 

 fact on the 20th but was then 

 on its way North to Umanak 

 and it was not before the 29th 

 that we embarked for Copen- 

 hagen. 



The arctic mosquitos de- 

 serve to be specially mentioned 

 because they obstructed and 

 liampered the work a great 

 (leal. On still and hot days 

 during July they will surround 

 every man or animal as a thick 

 cloud and they are a very 

 blood-thirsty and cunning race. 

 If for instance one attempts to 

 protect the hands with gloves 

 they will speedily find the stitches 

 Fig. 6. Two male subjects A. M. and B. W. and work in rows along the 



seams. It is exceedingly diffi- 

 cult to concentrate the attention on making accurate observations 

 and readings in the presence of any considerable number of these animals. 



The dietary and normal metabolism of Eskimos. 



The Eskimos are probably the most exquisitely carnivorous people 

 on earth, living, as most of them do, almost exclusively on meat and 

 fish. At the Danish trading stations bread and flour can be bought, 

 but the Eskimos living at a distance from these places use very little 

 of it and may for long periods be absolutely without vegetable food. 

 The only indigenous food plants are whortle berries (Vaccinium uligi- 

 tiosiim), Angelica ojficinalis and a few seaweeds. The whortle berries 

 ripen about the end of August and are sometimes eaten in considerable 

 quantities during the autumn but as a rule they are swallowed like 



