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tlie buildiiiü of the winter-houses of the Eskimos, as also for 

 landing, botli with the kayak in summer and with the dog- 

 siedges from the sea-ice in winter. This is one of the rea- 

 sons why the buildings of the Eskimos are mainly found at 

 Inglefield Gulf and Wolstenholm Sound, and it is also one of 

 the conditions which make the Greenland coast more inhabi- 

 table in contrast to the coast of Ellesmere Land. 



A further advantage which the Greenland coast has in 

 biogeographical regards may also be mentioned here, namely, 

 that many of the high, in part precipitous, in part strongly 

 sloping coast-hills between Cape York and Cape Alexander on 

 Smith Sound are directed towards the south and south-west. 

 This has the result amongst others, that these coasts are spe- 

 cially selected by the birds, and in summer we find this coast 

 teeming with bird life. Chief among these are the Auk and 

 the considerably smaller Little Auk (Mergulus alle L.); less 

 numerous are the eider ducks, gulls, terns, fulmars and loons 

 (Colymbus). 



Auk grounds occur at some few places where the slope 

 of the coast is steep; the largest and the one most frequented 

 by the Eskimos lies on the south-west coast of Saunder's Is- 

 land, and the Eskimo name for the island, "Agpaf, is an 

 indication of the quantities of auk there. A second auk ground, 

 also called "Agpat", is found further to the south on the 

 coast right opposite Conical Rock. The Little Auk occurs on 

 the less steep coastal cliffs, where it breeds amongst the stones. 

 The whole coast from Cape York Bay to Cape Alholl, the 

 south coast of Northumberland Island as also the stretch of 

 coast from the settlement Kràna on the north side of Inglefield 

 Gulf westwards right round to Kane Basin, might also be con- 

 sidered a continuous row of Little Auk grounds. If we row 

 along such a place on a summer's day the air is full of flocks 

 of birds and noisy with the half chirping, half crackling sounds 

 they make; the sea also is covered with thousands of the 



