148 HUNTING IN THE ARCTIC 



mate with its long, cold winter and its short, cool but 

 amply lighted summer. The chief characteristics of the 

 Arctic winter are the searching winds, which sweep many 

 parts of the tundra clear of the light snow-fall and heap 

 it together in deep drifts elsewhere, and also the dryness 

 of the atmosphere. So great is the ruling dryness of the 

 air under the clear but sunless heaven of winter that the 

 breath does not condense even in the greatest cold, and 

 tobacco disintegrates into dust. Winter continues far 

 into the spring months of the year, bringing its coldest 

 weather as late as March or April. Warmth quickly 

 follows in May, ushering in a moist summer, hottest in 

 July and beginning again to retire in August. In the 

 highest north the sun does not set during the greater part 

 of June, July and August. While its continued presence 

 melts enormous quantities of ice and snow, the air does 

 not become comparatively hot. The heat of summer is, 

 however, very unequal in this part of the Polar regions 

 and at least on the coast and at sea the air is generally 

 of a refreshing coolness. Some towns in northern 

 Siberia, indeed, bear the undesirable distinction of 

 being the hottest in summer and the coldest in winter 

 of any places on earth. The extreme variation of tem- 

 perature at one city is from ninety-three degrees above 

 zero to ninety-four degrees below zero, or a total range of 

 one hundred and eighty-seven degrees Fahrenheit. Fre- 

 quent, light rains are the consequence of these condi- 

 tions. Fog is uncoEomonly abundant, occasionally almost 

 continuous, and so thick that sometimes it is impossible 

 to see a few paces distant. The fog is also damp, cold 

 and penetrating, often wetting everything like rain, and 

 indeed, many times can scarcely be distinguished from a 

 drizzle. It is evident that a short and misty duration of 



