22 R. BROWN ON THE MAMMALS OF GREENLAND. 



prove dangerous in houses ; but they gradually and periodically 

 died out, as they could not stand the cold of the winter. Some 

 years ago they were again introduced, and still occasionally one is 

 seen in the summer months in some of the warehouses from 

 Upernavik to near Cape Farewell.] 



7. [Mus MuscuLUS, Linn. 



Greenl. Teriangoak (" the small rat "). 



Its history as a colonist [animal in Greenland is about the same 

 as the Rat's. At some of the more southern settlements they can 

 occasionally survive the winter and beget abundantly. Both the 

 Mouse and Rat were introduced as far north as Kane's, Hayes's, 

 and Hall's ships wintered, but I cannot learn that they got 

 naturalized.] 



8. Lepus glacialis. Leach. 



L. arcticus, ibid. 

 Greenl. Ukalek. 



The Hare is a common animal over the whole coast, from north 

 to south, east and west. It is, however, seen more seldom in the 

 north of the Danish trading limits, and there are only a few hun- 

 dreds shot annually. They are said to be rather rare on the east 

 coast. I cannot see why its beautiful white skin is not more used. 

 At one time the Danes used to send quantities home, but they 

 could get no market for it. From the Hare the natives spin a 

 kind of yarn which they occasionally knit into caps, for a summer 

 head-dress, for the men and children. It is difficult (indeed, 

 almost impossible) to give characters whereby this species can be 

 separated from the Lepus variabilis of Europe when the former is 

 in its summer dress ; and the skull presents equal difficulties. 



I have, however, preferred to look upon it as nominally distinct, 

 though I really believe that it is only a climatic variety of Z. 

 variabilis, Pallas. 



9. [Sus SCROFA, Linn. 



Greenl. Polike. 



It is kept at some of the southern settlements.] 



10. OviBOS MOSCHATUS (Gmel.), Blainv. 



Greenl. and Eskimo generally. Umimak. 



In the *' Fauna Grcenlandica," p. 28. No. 17, Fabricius has classed 

 Bos grunniens, L., as one of the animals of Greenland, because he 

 thought that he had found (on a piece of drift ice) some remains 

 of it, consisting of the greater portion of the skull of an animal 

 " very like an ox." He was of opinion that this was a portion of 

 the Yak. He did not, however, consider it to be a native of 

 Greenland, but rather to have been drifted from northern Asia on 

 the ice, the flesh having been eaten by polar bears. Any one can 

 see, by examining the figure which Fabricius afterwards gave of 

 this specimen (Bid. Selsk. Skriv. N. Saml. iii. 82), that it was the 

 Musk-ox ; and indeed, he afterwards acknowledged so himself 

 (Bid. Selsk. Skr. 3. N., vi.). It is therefore, after this, somewhat 



