TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 108 
consider them as one of the resting-places of the Es- 
quimaux in their emigration from Asia to Greenland ; 
for, according to the tradition of the Greenlanders 
themselves, their forefathers came originally from 
the westward. But be this as it may, it does not ap- 
pear to me that the remains we have seen to-day are 
likely to be one of the stations occupied at that re- 
mote period, more especially as a more probable 
way of accounting for them may be ascribed to a 
party of Esquimaux having visited these islands 
during some of their excursions from the coast of 
America ; for we know, from Hearne’s Account, that 
that continent is inhabited by these people nearly op- 
posite to where we are. 
Although we are left in doubt as to the era when this 
island was visited by man, we have very unequivocal 
proofs of its being recently inhabited by different 
animals, for we discovered numerous tracks of what 
we supposed to be reindeer, some of them apparently 
very lately made; and several of their horns, and 
small portions of their hair, were found in different 
places where they had been lying. We had an 
equally good proof of this place being frequented by 
Musk-oxen (Bos Moschatus, Lin.), for we found 
the skeleton of one in a perfect state, except that 
the bones of the legs were separated from the rest, 
most probably by some carnivorous animal. The 
skull and horns were entire; but from the ap- 
pearance of the horns, and indeed of the bones in 
general, they must have been exposed to the wea- 
ther at least one winter. Whether the cloven tracks 
we saw were chiefly those of the musk-oxen, or 
reindeer, it 1s impossible to say ; but if we were to 
H 4 
