Dec. 1857. THRIFT OF THE ARCTIC FOX. 77 



as would at present be selected by the natives. 

 These ruins show that no perceptible change 

 has taken place in the relative level of sea and 

 land since they were originally constructed. 

 At Petersen's Greenland home, Upernivik, the 

 land has sunk, as is plainly shown by similar 

 ruins over which the tides now flow. 



Anything which illustrates the habits of 

 animals in such extremely high latitudes I 

 think is most interesting; their instincts must 

 be quickened in proportion as the difficulty 

 of subsisting increases. Foxes, white and blue, 

 are very numerous ; all the birds are merely 

 summer visitors, therefore the hare is the only 

 creature remaining upon which foxes can prey ; 

 but the hares are comparatively scarce, how then 

 do the foxes live for eight months of each year ? 

 Petersen thinks they store up provisions during 

 the summer in various holes and crevices, and 

 thus manage to eke out an existence during the 

 dark winter's season ; he once saw a fox carry 

 off eggs in his mouth from an eider-duck's nest, 

 one at a time, until the whole were removed ; 

 and in winter he has observed a fox scratch 

 a hole down through very deep snow, to a cache 

 of eggs beneath. 



The men are exercised at building snow 

 huts ; for winter or early spring travelling, this 



