The terrestrial mammals and birds of North-East Greenland. Ц 



Worst situated are doubtless the foxes and wolves; the condi- 

 tions of life of these animals seem to me incredibly hard. As regards 

 the two other carnivorous animals living in the country, the polar 

 bear and the ermine, the conditions are here somewhat more favour- 

 able. To be sure the bear is reduced to live by chance as well as 

 the foxes and wolves, but its capacity as a seal-hunter, combined 

 with the fact that it is able to range about on the sea ice, where 

 it may hope to find a little open water here and there at all times 

 of the year, gives the bear augmented possibilities of acquiring 

 booty. The hunting ground of the ermine is in this time exclusively 

 confined to the lemming passages under the snug snow-drifts. Here 

 the small, comparatively thinly coated beast of prey finds at the 

 same time protection against the cold and as a rule ample food. 



On the mountain slopes which have been swept clean by the 

 storm and in other snowless places the musk-ox and polar hare 

 seek their modest living. Even under circumstances where the 

 snow covers the ground loosely, these animals are able to make 

 their way to the plants which form their means of support. Crusty 

 snow which may be extremely inconvenient to the herbivorous 

 animals, present no obstacle to them as yet. — In this period the 

 life of the lemming, as that of the ermine, is entirely confined to 

 hidden places. In the numerous passages between the surface of 

 the ground and the thick layers of snow, the easily contented little 

 rodent animal finds so ample food that — as far as I was able to 

 ascertain — it did not hesitate to breed in the very heart of winter. 



As is shown by the affixed tables the average temperature of 

 February was rather lower and the downpour somewhat less ample 

 than in January. About the middle of February the sun rises over 

 the horizon. The effects of the returning light might be traced 

 even in the first days of the month, as the two hardy birds, the 

 ptarmigan and the raven, made their entry about a week before 

 the sun. These two bird species, the migrations of which towards 

 the south do not reach very far probably, at any rate not beyond 

 the boundaries of the country, did not seem in the least inconveni- 

 enced by the low temperature, and decidedly their departure from 

 these regions must be due only to the darkness. In the case of the 

 ptarmigans only a few small flocks, nearly all males — were seen 

 in the first half of February. 



Though no snowy owl was seen in February, I believe that the 

 species appears already in this month. Judging from observations 

 made I suppose — as before indicated — that single individuals are 

 able even to winter in the country. In the case of certain mam- 

 mals, chiefly polar hares and musk-oxen, the cessation of the period 



