MUSK OXEN IN CAPTIVITY. 603 



Scoresby, who visited this liord in 1822, nor Claveriiig- and Sabine, 

 who were in that region in 1823, .saw any musk oxen. Nathorst shows 

 that these animals nmst have migrated quite sk)wly from tlie north- 

 west side over Smiths Sound into Greenhind, and then along the north 

 and east coasts until they tinally reached the deeply cut inlet of 

 Scoresbjs Sound. 



It was also noted that they were followed l)y polar wolves that 

 took from them many of their small calves. This is the most natural 

 explanation of the fact that so few calves are seen with the herds 

 observed. "In August, 1900," says the zoologist, Soren Jensen, " the 

 Amdrup expedition saw in the regions north of Scoresbys Sound 

 about 400 musk oxen, of which onl}^ 13 were cah'es." When we take 

 into account the slaughter effected by the hunters who land when the 

 ice permits it can be easily understood that the species is in danger 

 of extermination. 



It was not until the year 1899 that an^^one succeeded in capturing a 

 musk ox and bringing it alive into civilized countries. Even upon 

 the continent of North America this was verj^ difficult, because it was 

 usually necessary to transport the animals upon sledges over long* and 

 trackless land journeys. Adult animals could hardlj^ be utilized, 

 firstly, because of their untamable disposition and also because it was 

 with great difficulty that they could become accustomed to new kinds 

 of food. It therefore became necessary to look for calves. 



Finally, in the autumn of 1899, a Norweg'ian arctic hunter brought to 

 Tromso two calves^ which he had captured at Clavering Island, on the 

 east coast of Greenland. They were born in May of the same 3'ear, and 

 while on the way he fed them partly on the arctic willows and grasses 

 collected on the spot where they were taken, but chiefl}" on ship's 

 biscuit. He knew ver}^ well the value of his captives and asked for 

 the two calves 22,000 marks. He had, however, to be contented with 

 10,000 marks, which were paid him by the wealth}' Duke of Bedford 

 who has a large zoological garden at Woburn, in the south of England. 

 One of the animals, however, was somewhat weakened and died soon 

 thereafter; the other, a male, died a short time ago, in July of this 

 year. It was very wild and on that account was kept in a strong 

 inclosure where it could not easily be seen. 



This profitable capture led all the Norwegian seal hunters to think 

 of giving up the capture of whales and seals and devoting themselves 

 wholly to that of musk calves. At any rate, some of these hunters 

 undertook such captures during tlu^ sununer of 1900. 



The Swedish expedition under Kolthotf, which was sent out to make 

 zoological researches in the arctic regions, now undertook to get musk 

 calves for acclimatization in northern Sw(h1(mi. Also the Danish 

 expedition to eastern Greenland, under Amdrup, undertook, among 



