1868.] MR. R. BROAVN ON THE MAMMALS OF GRKENLAND. 355 



Their food in Greenland consists chiefly of various species of Em- 

 petrum, Vaccinium, Betula, &c. ; and I can hardly think that the 

 traditional "reindeer-moss" (C/adonin. of various species) forms any 

 great portion of its subsistence, as that lichen is nowhere found in 

 Greenland in such quantity as to afford food for any animal *. 



The Greenlanders have no idea of taming the animal; indeed its 

 use to them would be trifling, as it cannot travel well on ice, and 

 the difliculties of transporting sup|)lies of food for it on their long 

 ice-journeys would be great. The Eskimo's sledge-travelling is 

 almost wholly confined to the frozen surface of the sea in winter ; 

 and for this purpose dogs answer much better. The meat is very 

 good ; and the natives eat the half-digested vegetable contents of 

 the stomach along with blubber as a choice delicacy. They prefer 

 to eat the flesh in a putrid state. It is, with the exception of 

 the breast, for the most part lean. Clothes and thread are made 

 from the skin and sinews. The latter is much sought after in 

 districts where there are no Reindeer. From the horn are made 

 all sorts of native implements ; but commercially it is of no value 

 in Copenhagen. However, I think its importation ought to answer, 

 if brought to England, though to Denmark it will not pay the 

 freight. 



A calculation has been made that from 1840-45 there were about 

 2500 persons living in the principal Reindeer district. Every 

 family of five persons, it was calculated, would use two skins &c., 

 which would make .5000 for themselves ; and they sent home 1 1,500; 

 the total hunt was therefore calculated to be about 16,000 annu- 

 ally. This sum has been taken for a minimum ; for every hunter, 

 besides using the skins for clothes, not only for himself and family, 

 also used them for tents, partitions in houses, and for socks &c., so 

 that the number killed was in all likelihood much greater. Of late 

 years the skins traded by the natives have decreased one half. Be- 

 tween 1851 and 1855 there were annually shot 8500 Deer. It is 

 difficult to say how much meat has been consumed in that periofl ; 

 but every Deer may be put down at 80 lbs. of meat alone. This 

 makes the meat, between 1840 and 1845, amount to 1,280,000 lbs. 

 annually, and between 1851 and 1855 to 680,000 lbs. 



The Reindeer is often shot in situations where it is impossible for 

 the hunter to carry the meat down, when it becomes a prey to wild 

 beasts and birds. The quantity of meat thus lost is enormous, in- 

 dependently of much more wastefully destroyed, as described in the 

 first portion of these notes. It is so great that, during the period 

 first referred to, fully one half was thrown away, and during the 

 last period a quarter. The tallow in a large Deer will weigh from 

 8 to 12 lbs. The tongues are first cut out, after the Reindeer is 

 killed. About 3000 to 4000 lbs. of Reindeer-horn must be used by 

 tlie natives in South Greenland. The trader at Holsteensborg has 



* On tlio western shores of Davis's Strait I liave known them to come down 

 to feed upon the fiici exposed at low water, as do the cattle and red deer in 

 some places in the north of Scotland. 



