The terrestrial mammals and birds of North-East Greenland. 39 



grass which were untidily heaped together. As far as I was able 

 to observe, the lemming demanded in the coldest winter time layers 

 of snow of at least one meter's depth. 



Gradually as the sun rose over the horizon, the lemming ap- 

 peared now and then outside of its hole. In February and the first 

 half of March these visits in the open air were of very short dura- 

 tion, confined as a rule to the nearest surroundings of the entrance 

 through which the animal quickly returned to its snug domain 

 under the snow-drift. In exceptional cases I might have the oppor- 

 tunity of tracing a lemming some few meters along the surface of 

 the snow, till it found a suitable spot for the placing of a new hole. 

 It was evident that a longer stay in the open air still seemed too 

 disagreeable to the animal and unsuitable to its purpose. 



Towards the end of March it seemed as if the lemming's want 

 of enterprising longer excursions were awakening. Traces of lem- 

 mings were now to be found daily, even in localities less rich in 

 snow. Also on the ice of the fjord, sometimes far away from the 

 nearest land, both my travelling companions and I myself often 

 found traces of lemmings, nearly always belonging to singly walking 

 animals. 



As an instance may be stated that on a sledge drive across 

 Stormbugt in the spring 1908, Jarner met Avith no less than fifteen 

 different traces of lemmings, going parallel to one another. These 

 traces were distributed on a distance of about 15 kilometers (from 

 Baadskæret to Snenæs), leading all towards the continent in the 

 north (Stormkap). According to the investigations of the narrator, 

 all the lemmings must have gone out from the islands lying to the 

 south in the neighbourhood of Teufelkap, having thus passed a di- 

 stance of about 57 kilometers. As far as the observer followed the 

 traces, they were kept in a straight line, leading without interrup- 

 tion (no experimental holes in the snow) towards the shore. 



In the same spring the sledge travellers Trolle, Johansen and 

 Hagerup found between "Koldewey Islands" and "Nordre Oriente- 

 ringsø" some traces of singly walking lemmings. The animals had 

 gone out from the first mentioned of these islands, making course 

 for the latter. The place where the travellers crossed the traces of 

 the lemmings, was situated about 10 kilometers from the nearest 

 land. Fresh traces of ermines ran beside one of the lemming tracks. 

 Also on the north-going sledge drives traces of lemmings were met 

 with here and there on the ice. 



In the choice of food the lemming is by no means particular. 

 As far as I have been able to see, it will be content with any of 

 the plants growing on land. I am not sure which of these it pre- 



