.42 THE POLAR WORLD. 



dras ; but the Arctic fox ( Canis lagopKs) almost exclusively inhabits the treeless 

 wastes that fringe the Polar Ocean, and is found on almost all the islands that lie 

 buried in its bosom. This ]>retty little creature, ■which in winter grows per- 

 fectly white, knows how to protect itself against the most intense cold, either by 

 seeking a refuge in the clefts of rocks, or by burrowing to a cor.siderable depth 

 i.i a sandy soil. It principally ])reys u])on lemmings, stoats, polar hares, as 

 well as \\\nn\ all kinds of water-fowl and their eggs ; but when pinched by 

 liunger, it does not disdain the carcasses of fish, or the molluscs and crustaceans 

 it may chance to j)ick up on the shore. Its enemies are the glutton, the snowy 

 nwi, and man, who, from the Equator to the poles, leaves no creature unmolested 

 that can in any way satisfy his wants. 



'V\\v Uiiiniings, of whieh there are many species, are small rodents, peculiar 

 to the Arctic regions, both in the New and in the Old World, where they are 

 found as far to the north as vegetation extends. They live on grass, roots, the 

 shoots of tiie willow, and the dwarf birch, but chiefly on lichens. They do not 

 gather hoards of provisions for the winter, but live upon what they find be- 

 neath the snow. They seldom prove injurious to man, as the regions they in- 

 habit are generally situated beyond the limits of agriculture. From the voles, 

 to wliom tlicy are closely allied, they are distinguished by having the foot-sole 

 coveii d w ith stiff hairs, and by the strong crooked claws with which their fore 

 feet arc aimed. Tlie best known species is the Norwegian lemming (J^emmus 

 noncef/lcKs), Avhich is found on the high mountains of the Dovrefjeld, and 

 farther to the north on the dry parts of the tundra, where it inhabits small 

 burrows under stones or in the moss. Its long and thick hair is of a tawnv 

 color, and prettily marked with black spots. The migrations of the lemming 

 have been grossly exaggerated by Olaus Magnus and Pontojipidan, to whom 

 the natural history of the Noi'th owes so many fables. As they breed sevei-al 

 limes ill the year, producing five or six at a birth, they of course multiply very 

 fast under favorable circumstances, and are then forced to leave the district 

 which is no longer able to afford them food. But this takes place very sel- 

 dom, for when Mr. Brelnn visited Scandinavia, the people on the Dovrefjeld 

 knew nothing about the migrations of the lemming, and his inquiries on the 

 subject ])roved equally fruitless in Lapland and in Finland At all events, it is 

 a fortunate circumstance that the lemmings have so many enemies, as their 

 rapid multiplication might else endanger the balance of existence in the northern 

 regions. Tlie inclemencies of the climate are a chief means for keeping them 

 in check. A wet summer, an early cold and snowless autumn destroy them | 

 liv milUons, and then of course vears are necessarv to recruit their numbers. 

 ^Vith the exception of the bear and the hedgehog, they are pursued by all the | 

 northern carnivora. The wolf, the fox, the glutton, the marten, the ermine 

 devour them witli aviditv, ."^ud a good lemming season is a time of unusual 

 ]>lenty for the hungry Laplander's dog. The snowy owl, whose dense plumage 

 enaldes it to bo a constant resident on the tundra, almost exclusively frequents 

 those places where lemmings, its favorite food, are to be found ; the buzzards 

 arc constantly active in their destruction ; the crow feeds its young with lem- 

 n.ings ; and even the poor Lap, when pressed by hunger, seizes a stick, and, 



