RESIDENCE IN THE ARCTIC 289 



Arrival 



The arrival of migrant birds in spring makes a great impression 

 upon arctic people. First a few early comers appear. Shortly 

 thereafter a wave of individuals, pairs, and flocks sweeps in to popu- 

 late the formerly lifeless tundra. Not only do the birds suddenly 

 enliven a formerly quiet scene but each species at once displays its 

 special pattern of living on its nesting ground. Separating from 

 social groups the birds mate and establish territories in which to pursue 

 domestic and family life. Their program is as orderly as the settle- 

 ment of a traveling nomadic community of people in a new village 

 site. The community separates into groups of individuals for whom 

 the family is the dominant association, whereas in traveling the 

 direction of the community prevailed. 



The conspicuous similarity of basic social concerns in the lives of 

 birds and men is clearly an attraction for the interest of people who 

 live a simple life. The birds are graceful, alert, neat of plumage, 

 and competent in managing their own affairs. Even the jealousy 

 shown in claims upon mate and territory is redeemed by the faithful 

 support which bird parents give to their families. Such staunch 

 support of their families is appreciated by Eskimos whose lives are 

 bound up in the preservation of family associations. 



The birds arrive in an arctic season changing at a rate which can- 

 not be imagined from experience confined to temperate regions. 

 Daylight becomes continuous in May. In that month, from levels 

 lower than those of the coldest part of winter in the temperate 

 regions, the arctic temperature rises to the warmth of summer. The 

 water in the environment changes its physical state from snow and 

 ice to liquid. But in any one year these day to day changes are not 

 orderly, for until early June pleasant warmth, snowfall, and bitter 

 cold can succeed each other within a few hours (see fig. 5). In these 

 vagaries of the arctic weather in spring the birds arrive, settle, and 

 proceed to nest with such regularity that their behavior sets the 

 steadiest schedule among the natural phenomena. 



I have recorded in figure 10 the earliest birds seen in spring at 

 Anaktuvuk from 1948 through 1953. These records come from 

 Nunamiut observers, from specimens obtained in the course of their 

 hunting, and from my own observations. Tom Brower carefully 

 studied the birds arriving in migration in 1949, and John Krog re- 

 ported on the condition of migrant arrivals in May 1951. During 

 each of the 6 annual migrations under consideration I have been 

 present at least some of the time. In the open valley so favorable 

 for observation, and with the interested assistance of the keen and 

 understanding Nunamiut, I obtained records of migration that I be- 

 lieve are unusually complete. Adding to the effectiveness of Eskimo 

 observation was their pleasant social custom of spending long periods 



