Scientific work on the First Thule Expedition 1912. 395 



From Hagens Fjord inwards, the southern coast of Independence 

 Fjord is extremely narrow, consisting only of a series of steep hills, 

 crowned by the inland ice, and thus leaving no room for such growth 

 as is necessary for the existence of land mammals. 



On the 5th June we went across Independence Fjord to that part 

 of Peary Land noted on the map as Melville Land. The country here 

 was low-lying, but comparatively fertile, richly watered spots occurring 

 frequently between the gravel mounds and flat clay hills : at these places 

 there was abundance of grass, making almost a meadow land. While 

 still on the ice we sighted two musk ox some distance up inland : on the 

 way after them we passed a solitary bull. The two had lain down in 

 one of the small hollows already mentioned, where the ground was very 

 moist: their fur was muddied all over with the clay, and their feet sank 

 in up over the hoofs. They lay about 30 metres apart, but closed in 

 together at once when we loosed a couple of dogs which we had brought 

 with us. They appeared to be drowsy, and disinclined to fight. Both 

 were bulls, and in fairly good condition. While we were flaying them, 

 4 other bulls passed some little distance away. 



On the 7th June, on the way to Jørgen Brønlunds Fjord, we walked 

 inland for over thirty hours without finding more than a few single 

 tracks, and these very old. The country is barren, moraine gravel with 

 very little vegetation. 



8th June. Some few kilometres east of Brønlunds Fjord the country 

 looks much more promising, sloping down from the heights inland, richly 

 watered by rivers, and with plenty of vegetation. Close to the coast, 

 near a little lake, we found a herd of musk ox, numbering twelve head, 

 and shot them all. There were four cows with sucking calves, three of 

 them yearlings, the fourth born in the spring of this year, two heifers 

 and two bull calves. The finding of yearling heifers still unweaned — 

 we found such repeatedly later on — suggests that the cows bear at 

 most but once every other year, which would also appear likely in view 

 of the srnafl number of calves always found in a herd. All the four cows 

 had abundance of rich good milk in their udders: the milk was pleasant 

 to the taste. The fur has already begun to grow thin, the winter wool 

 being gradually shed. On the following day the flesh of all the animals 

 was green and smelling, as they had not been flayed — except so much 

 as was necessary to procure food for the dogs — being merely slit across 

 the belly. The flesh was perfectly grass-green in places. The little 

 calf, which could not have been more than about a month old, had a 

 few Salix leaves in its stomach. 



A little distance away three bulls were grazing, but soon moved off. 



On the 11th of June, at the same place, a herd came moving down 



towards us from the hills inland, they neared us slowly, grazing as they 



came. The herd consisted of 6 in all, two cows, a young heifer, two 



young buU calves, and a yearling bull calf. As we approached them, 



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