The terrestrial mammals and birds of North-East Greenland. 47 



mely deranged appearance during the period of the hair change. 

 Its movements are at the same time graceful and swift as lightening. 

 Like an India-rubber ball the nimble animal will jump up and 

 down the steep snow-drifts, coated with a glazing of ice, and it sweeps 

 across the snow-covered mountain side or over the sea ice, as if it 

 were carried on wings. Under the difficult conditions of life the 

 senses of the fox have been sharpened to the utmost. It is un- 

 doubtedly most beautiful to observe, when it is strolling about in 

 pursuit of lemmings on a sunny autumn day. Like a tuft of cotton 

 wool, periodically carried along by the wind, it chases across the 

 mountain slope or meadow^ land, always spying, listening and snif- 

 fing the air. Even when hurrying along at the utmost speed it 

 discovers with never failing certainty the lemming which is hidden 

 under the snow and quickly makes its way to it by means of its 

 strong claws and fore limbs. With three or four powerful jumps 

 the fox lets itself fall down in the snow pit, its body hanging down 

 perpendicularly and the tail stiffly out-stretched behind, and it will 

 go on in this way, till it has got the dainty bit between the teeth. 

 For some moments it tarries on the spot and then hastens on again. 

 Soon it is seen once more occupied with its work of digging and 

 its strange caprioles. 



Towards human beings the foxes always showed a certain cau- 

 tion, though at times they might be very impudent, when compelled 

 by hunger. 



When a fox suddenly caught sight of me, it would rush on to 

 meet me curiously, with a few disconnected jumps, then it turned 

 round abruptly, running at the utmost speed towards some moun- 

 tain crest or large stone which it climbed with inconceivable dexte- 

 rity, and from the top of which it would watch me for a long 

 while, standing motionless with the tail out-stretched horizontally. 

 In this position the fox often at fixed intervals uttered a short bark 

 or a long-drawn, far sounding howl. The foxes caught in traps as 

 a rule threw out low yelps, very much like those of a small puppy, 

 and broken in the same manner by fixed pauses. In the summer 

 time, while the hair change is going on, the fox screams incessantly 

 its shrieks being a mixture of barking and mewing which sounds 

 most hideously. 



The arctic fox is mostly astir in the night — in the dark sea- 

 son and when the hair change takes place it will move about at 

 all hours. Yet I also saw the fox hunting in the day-time, especi- 

 ally early in the morning or late in the afternoon. In the middle 

 of the day and when the weather is fine it likes resting on a sunny 

 and grassy spot, surrounded by blocks of stone and not too high 



