The Mmk Ox. 175 



Coinraandei' G, F, Mechara, whose interestint;' remarks, whilirl: 

 searching in the above direction, are of s>-t'eat value in raau}' res- 

 pect?, makes the following general observations upon the animals 

 he fell in with in 1853 : — 



"<iame was only procured when i-equired i'or use, otherwise 

 great quantities miglit have beer, obtained on Melville Island. 

 About the slopiug land from Cape Smyth up to ttic head of Lid- 

 don's Gulf aJiiinals were seen in great numbers, but particularly 

 about the 115-' of longitude, were both in April atid June musk- 

 oxen Were very numerous. 1 savv', in a walk o\erland often miles', 

 as many as 150 head of cattle. At Cape Smyth, on June IStli, a 

 peifectly white inusk-cow was seen with a black calf grazing with 

 another cow and calf of the usual colour. Only one small herd 

 of reindeer was seen vfhile crossing Jvielviile Island to Wintei' 

 Harbour in July, as the laud was then covered with v/atcr, or else 

 in a deep swajjjp. In June and July, innumerable lemmings were 

 seen both on the land and ice. Tho^e on the latter were frequently 

 carried off by the burgomastet s, which were always in great num- 

 bers wherever the land was high or steep. At the entrance of 

 Liddon's Gulf two large flocks of snowy geese were seen, but, in 

 general with all the waterfowl, were very wild, 



" From the barren state of the soil of Eglintoun and l-*rince 

 Patrick's Land, I am inclined to think that it is not a very 

 favourite resoit for animals. Several traces were seen in May and 

 June on the ice, ail travelling />o?«- Melville Island to the west- 

 ward. On Patrick's Land we found vegetation only immediately 

 on the south beach, and that only as far as 122° W. Through- 

 out the journey beyond that, iintil returning again to the southern 

 shore on June 1st, no t.'aces or animals were seen of any kind 

 except two bears off Cape Manning. 



''The musk-oxen were all vei'y wild in April, and generally seen 

 in large herds from ten to seventy in number. In June they were 

 stiq)idly tame, and seemed lo be worried w4th their heavy coats 

 of wool, which were hanging loosely down their shoidders and 

 rumps in large quantities; the herds much smaller, and generally 

 composed of cows and calves. 



" At Cape Russell I walked up to within ii&w yards of two cows 

 and a bull without their taking the least notice of me, and wdien 

 I fired, only ran about five yards and commenced grazing. The 

 cows were at first butting at the bull, who received their blows 

 with the crown of his horns, which sounded like the meeting of 

 two heavy skittle-balls." 



