The terrestrial mammals and birds of Northi-East Greenland. 



15 



Stormkap disclosed itself to my eyes. The dark spots were now 

 rather numerous everywhere, but never of large extension. For 

 some days the snow was still prevalent. Towards the middle of 

 the month the melt water began to trickle down the mountain 

 slopes in earnest, forming large ponds and pools in the lower lying 

 meadow grounds. Along the shores of the shallow freshwater lakes 

 the ice thawed away, and on the moist sand or mire the small 

 waders now found ample food. During the first half of the month 

 Lestris longicauda had arrived in great numbers, just as the rest of 

 the bird species which breed in the country, made their entry. 

 Colymbus septentrionalis filled the air with its wide-sounding cackle. 



Fig. 5. What waders have to face when the}' first arrive. Stormkap June 3*Ь 1908. 



and in the ponds Pagonetta glacialis and Somateria spedabilis were 

 lying in pairs or in smaller flocks. The pretty little Phalaropus 

 fulicarius resorted in pairs to the richly grown shores of the lakes 

 or the melt water ponds in the fen territory proper. In and near 

 the open cracks on the inlet ice Somateria moUissima and Sterna 

 macrura were seen. The Anser torqvatus which goes higher north 

 was seen now and then resting on grassy shores of lakes and on 

 the meadow^s. 



In the last half of June the murmuring and rushing of the 

 rivers was heard all round the territory. 



The afflux of melt water was in the very last days of June so 

 enormous that at the mouths of the more important water courses 

 the inlet ice was broken on long distances. In this way the range 

 of food-seeking was extended very much in the case of certain 

 swimmers — Somateria mollissima, Laras glaucus and Sterna ma- 

 crura. Also Colymbus septentrionalis left the freshwater lakes at 



