394 P- Freuchen. 



the case in every musk ox I have seen. On account of the season, the 

 contents of the stomach was dry, of a consistency somewhat resembhng 

 that of dry horsedung, the dung itself forming pellets; in summer, on 

 the other hand, when grass and leaves are fresh, the contents of the 

 stomach forms a thick, semi-fluid mass, with a fresh, acid taste, and 

 the dung is then found in caked form, very much like that of ordinary 

 cowdung at home. The contents of the stomach consisted mainly of 

 Dnjas and Salix arctica. 



Even when very thin, the musk ox are almost always found to 

 have a considerable deposit of suet at certain places, viz: on the inner 

 side of the sternum, interwoven in the pleura par letalis, in the epicardium, 

 in the omentum, and in part of the pelvis minor. Here there will inva- 

 riably be found a layer of suet at least one centimetre thick, on the 

 inner side of the the membrana obturatoria and adjacent parts. Both 

 vesica and rectum have also a fairly thick layer of suet interwoven in 

 the tunica muscularis and covering the same. When the animal grows 

 fatter, the suet collects in lumps the size of coffee berries all along 

 the outside of the intestine. Round the kidneys also, and behind the 

 vessels and nerves about the eyes, suet is always found. The suet in 

 these places differs from the back suet etc. in fat beasts by its almost 

 entire freedom from membrane, and melts down without leaving any 

 connective tissue. 



On the 28th May I found the year-old carcase of a bull, lying on 

 the shore of a little peninsula in the Danmarks Fjord ; it had not, however, 

 been touched either by foxes or wolves. The dogs devoured it eagerly. 



On the 31st May, moving out of Danmarks Fjord (along the north 

 coast) two musk ox were sighted, both bulls, on the slopes of the hills 

 towards the coast. When shot, they were found to be in far better con- 

 dition than those hitherto seen. Vegetation at the place where they 

 were found was very scanty. 



Farther out from Danmarks Fjord the hills disappear, giving place 

 to plains of clay and gravel — not good country for musk ox, — with 

 nothing in the way of shelter. 



On the 2nd June, as we moved over the ice, we saw a musk ox track 

 in the snow on the shore: it ran northwards, however, going up inland, 

 and we did not follow it. 



On the 3rd June we reached the ill-fated summer camp of Mylius 

 Eeichsen. Went up some way inland, but found the country almost 

 void of game. Flat clay land, with gravel hills. Compared with other 

 places on the way we here found but few tracks of musk ox, all those 

 seen being old. Tt is evidently the most unfavourable place on the whole 

 journey at which the unfortunate men were forced to take up their 

 summer quarters. Close by the camping place we found the horn of a heifer. 



The country round Cape Rigsdagen and as far as Hagens Fjord 

 in Independence Bay was of the same character. 



