76 MUSK OXEN IN LAT. SO" N. Chap. V. 



of dawn tints tlae southern horizon, to the north 

 the sky remains inky blue, whilst overhead it is 

 bright and clear, the stars shining, and the pole- 

 star near the zenith very distinct. Although 

 there is a light north wind, thin mackerel-clouds 

 are passing from south to north, and the tem- 

 perature has risen 10°. 



I have been questioning Petersen about the 

 bones of the musk oxen found in Smith's 

 Sound; he says the decayed skulls of about 

 twenty were found, all of them to the north of 

 the 79th parallel. As they were all without 

 lower jaws, he says they were killed by Esqui- 

 maux, who leave upon the spot the skulls 

 of large animals, but the weight of the lower 

 jaw being so trifling it is allowed to remain 

 attached to the flesh and tongue. The skull 

 of a musk ox with its massive horns cannot 

 weigh less than 30 lbs. 



Although it has been abundantly proved by 

 the existence of raised beaches and fossils, that 

 the shores of Smith's Sound have been elevated 

 within a comparatively recent geological period, 

 yet Petersen tells me that there exist numerous 

 ruins of Esquimaux buildings, probably one or 

 two centuries old, all of which are situated upon 

 very low points, only just sufficiently raised 

 above the reach of the sea ; such sites, in fact, 



