Scientific worlc on the First Thule Expedition 1912. 399 



to flight, dashing off through the dogs, and faster than they could follow. 

 At last it halted at the entrance to a narrow gulley, where it faced about, 

 barring the way. Making a sudden sortie, it overtook one of the dogs 

 and gored it severely. We killed it at last, and while we were flaying 

 it, six musk ox came grazing down towards us. 



On the 20th July, 11 musk ox came down towards the camp, one 

 old and very big bull a kilometre or more ahead of the rest. We fired 

 and wounded it, whereupon it turned and made off towards the rest 

 of the herd, taking no notice of the dogs. Before it could reach the others, 

 however, we brought it down. The remainder, 7 big cows and 2 calves, 

 appeared in no way disturbed by our flaying of the first victim, but 

 grazed calmly on, and lay down to sleep close by. The last of the herd, 

 a bull, was likewise about 1 km behind the rest. 



From the 21 — 24 July I was out on foot, visiting Peary's and 

 AsTRUP's cairn on Navy Cliff. On the way I saw altogether 13 musk 

 ox ; 1 bull, 4 cows and 1 calf, 5 full grown beasts, 2 bulls. The last-named 

 were sheltering under the lee of some big boulders, as a violent storm 

 was raging down the valley. I came up within 6 — 8 metres of them 

 but they did not heed me. 



During our absence, the others in camp had shot an old bull, in very 

 poor condition for the time of year, and with fresh wounds, evidently 

 inflicted by the horns of another, on neck and shoulder. Four bulls 

 lay nearly all day sheltering in a crevice of the cliff just opposite the 

 tent, out of the wind. 



26th July three bulls passed through the valley, one by one. 



27th July. One bull passed by the tent. 



On the 28th July we shot 2 bufls, one very old and thin, the other 

 younger and very fat. 



29th July. One bull passed close by the tent. Two others, like- 

 wise bulls, came down towards us, but on reaching a spot where we 

 had recently flayed some others, one carcase still remaining, they checked, 

 and dashed off down a side valley. 



On the 30th July two bulls came past, and later on we shot a young 

 bull by itself. In the evening a bull came down and grazed a couple 

 of hundred metres from the dogs, the latter being then tied together. 

 On the same day we sledged up with some dog-feed to the upper ice; 

 on the moraine here we saw two bulls. 



On the 1st August we scared a wolf close by the tent; it ran up 

 towards the crevice in the rock before mentioned, coming suddenly 

 upon a musk ox, a bull, which was lying asleep behind a boulder. The 

 beast started up from behind the sheltering rock and set off down a 

 ravine in chase of the wolf, both being then lost to sight. 



* On the 2nd August two cows, each with a calf from the same year, 

 came down towards us. We went up to them, leaving the dogs behind, 

 and shot first one cow, on which the other turned to protect both calves. 



