404 P. Freuchen. 



the snow, indicate that the lemmings form their staple food. We often 

 heard them barking in the distance. It is a remarkable fact that we 

 found two dead musk ox entirely untouched, which would seem to sug- 

 gest that they prefer lemmings to other food, and are moreover, able 

 to obtain a sufficient supply. 



On the 22nd July, on a barren stony hilltop near Navy Cliff, I saw 

 a fox, brownish grey in colour, like the hares at home. It looked poor 

 and thin in its summer coat, its tail hardly thicker than that of a rat. 

 It followed me some little distance and then disappeared among the 

 rocks. 



6. Wolf. Canis lupus. 



At two places in the Zigzag Valley, Knud Rasmussen found ex- 

 crements of wolves, full of musk ox hair. Near the cairn at Cape Kron- 

 borg, also, which was built by Mylius Erichsen, we found excrements 

 of wolves, of a later date than the cairn itself. 



On the 5th July, when we were camping in Valmuedalen in Adam 

 Bierings Land, a wolf came up to the tent in the night. We heard it 

 worrying about among our gear outside, and went out to see what was 

 the matter. At first we thought it was a white dog belonging to one 

 of the teams, which had got loose, and began to call it by name. The 

 beast took to flight on hearing us, and we then discovered the mistake, 

 but by the time we had got our guns it was out of range. It was a small 

 specimen, and wretchedly poor and thin. 



Next day we saw it again, trotting coolly past the tent some 300 

 metres away, apparently not in the least concerned at sight of the camp. 

 We had shot first one, then 3 and finally 13 musk ox at places close 

 by: these, however, the wolf did not appear to have discovered as long 

 as we were there. 



On the 1st of August, while we were in the "High Road Valley", 

 Game Land, I went out to fetch some meat from a musk ox we had 

 shot near the tent. On the way I lay down beside the river to drink, 

 and as I rose, there stood a wolf on the opposite bank, watching me. 

 Again I mistook it for our own white dog, and spoke to it sharply. It 

 was standing by the remains of a musk ox shot some days before; at 

 the sound of my voice it ran off a little way and halted again. I was 

 unfortunately unarmed, but the others up at the tent had also sighted 

 the animal, and came running down towards it. At this it made off in 

 earnest, and turned into a crevice in the cliff, where it disturbed a musk 

 ox that was lying alseep there. The latter started up at once to attack 

 the intruder, and the wolf fled down a gully close at hand. It was a 

 big beast, but in poor condition and with a remarkable reddish-yellow 

 <îoat. (At the same time a fine snow-white wolf-skin — male — was 

 brought in to Thule from Ellesmere Land — Baysfjord). 



