The terrestrial mammals and birds of North-East Greenland. 53 



In preference to most other expeditions in Nortli and East 

 Greenland the Danmark Expedition had considerably increased 

 chances of making a close study of the animal life, partly through 

 a protracted sojourn in the country, also in times of the year when 

 traces of animals are to be found easily, and partly through the 

 extraordinary great number of sledge drives made to the most dif- 

 ferent parts of the tract of country concerned. 



In the following I shall render an account of the most essential 

 observations which were made on the expedition concerning the 

 arctic wolf. 



Only a few days after our arrival to the country I found sure 

 evidence of the presence of this rare beast of prey, exactly in those 

 parts where I personally was most likely to be strolling about dur- 

 ing the coming two years, having seen on an excursion to the 

 country near Hvalrosodden, on August 2Р* 1906 fresh traces of an 

 adult wolf, walking alone. Along the clayey banks of Lakseelven, 

 in dried-up river beds and other hollows in the ground, as well as 

 on the partly snow-covered shores of Sælsøen, the wolf had been 

 trudging about. A widely sounding howl from the high mountains 

 north of the lake gave me further assurance of the presence of the 

 animal. Also beyond Lakseelven and in the clayey, low-lying 

 grounds stretching towards the evenly sloping musk-ox mountains 

 I was able to trace the w^lf during the first following days. 



On the above mentioned mountains seven musk-oxen were shot 

 on August 25''\ Some days passed away in transporting the meat 

 and skins of these animals to the tent camp at Hvalrosodden 16 kilo- 

 meters distant, and when on the evening of August 28**^, after hav- 

 ing been occupied with the killed musk-oxen, I was about to return 

 to the tent, I suddenly caught sight of a white wolf which was 

 staring down upon me from the top of a mountain crest, at a di- 

 stance of 7—800 meters. 



Feeling sure at once that sooner or later the wolf would pay a 

 visit to the meat, and having found by closer observation that such 

 had been the case during the previous nights, I resolved to await 

 the coming of the animal. Wrapped up in the skins of a couple 

 of musk-oxen, partly to resist the cold night air, and partly to 

 divert the attention of the animal from my presence through the 

 rank smell of the skins, I lay down in ambush not far away from 

 the meat. 



The wolf showed itself all along extremely cautious and shy. 

 Now and then it was trudging slowly down in my direction, but 

 only to turn round suddenly and make for the above named moun- 

 tain crest in long jumps. After some time the animal left its station, 



