VOYAGE TO SPITZBERGEN. 71 



The Canis lagopus, or Arctic fox, is found in 

 all parts of Spitzbergen. Its nose is sharp and 

 black; eyes black, with yellow iris; ears short, 

 erect, round, and almost hidden in the fur ; legs 

 short, with the toes furred like those of a hare ; 

 tail long and bushy. The male is generally lar- 

 ger than the female ; but neither reach the size 

 of the common British fox. In summer, its hair 

 is of a greyish colour, which in winter changes 

 to white, when it also becomes longer, softer, and 

 a good deal thicker than it is in the former pe- 

 riod. 



The Arctic fox is monogamous, and brings forth 

 twice a year, in the months of March and June. 

 It has several pups at a time. 



This species feeds chiefly on young water fowl 

 and eggs, and when very hungry, will eat any kind 

 of shell or other fish. In the northern parts of Asia, 

 and in Lapland, they prey on the leming, or Lap- 

 land marmont, (Mus Alpinus*) which are often 

 seen there in surprising numbers. 



They generally burrow in the ground, but in 

 Spitzbergen and Greenland, where the intensity 

 of the frost renders this impracticable, they lie in 

 caverns, and in the cliffs of rocks, two or three 

 together. They are so remarkably hardy, that the 

 most rigorous severity of winter in these regions, 



