498 



M'CLINTOCK, ANIMALS OF PAERY ISLANDS. 



§ n. 



Parry Islands and East-Arctic America. 



LX. — Note on Animal Life in the North -West Parry 

 Islands (Melville Island, Prince-Patrick Land, and the 

 Polynia Islands). From^'CAPT. M'Clintock's Pemi- 

 niscences of Arctic Ice-Tra.vel in search of Sir John 

 Franklin" (Third Expedition). With Permission: 

 Journal Royal Dublin Society, vol. x. pp. 236-7. 



** A comparison of 300 thermometric observations made upon 

 this journey and those simultaneously registered at Bridport Inlet, 

 in latitude 74° 56' N., shows a difference of 3*5° of lower tempe- 

 rature for any more northern position, for which, as a mean, we 

 may assign the parallel of 76^° N., being about 100 miles north of 

 the ship (H.M. ^' Intrepid "). The means of temperature thus 

 compared were 18*5° and 22°. 



" These observations having been made between 12th April and 

 15th July (1852), sufficiently account for the diminished vegetable 

 growth, and consequent decrease of animal life upon the land ; 

 whilst the absence of the Polar Bear is significant of a similar 

 scarcity of the frozen deep." 



" As bearing upon the distribution of animaHife I subjoin a 

 record of aU that were shot or seen." Abstract : — 





April 4 to 

 May 13. 



May 14 to 

 June 26. 



June 26 and 30. 



July 1-19. 





Melville Island. 



PrincePatrickl. 



Emerald Is- 

 land. 



MelviUe Island. 



Musk-oxen - 



59 



5 







30 



Rein-deer - 



29 



8 



13 



74 



Hares - 



I 



1 







2 



Seals - 







2 



1 



15 



Gulls - 







12 



7 



34 



Brent Geese 







20 







107 



Ducks - 







5 







18 



Ptarmigan - 



16 



37 







12 



** No traces of Bears were found. A few Wolf tracks were seen, 

 but only on Melville Island. No traces of Oxen, Deer, Foxes, or 

 Ptarmigan beyond the 77th parallel, except in one instance, when 

 a decayed bone of a Deer and traces of a Fox were found. Up to 

 77° N. Fox tracks were frequently seen, although we never saw 

 the animal. Lemmings were tolerably numerous whenever there 

 was vegetation. 



"Three kinds of Gulls. The Ivory Gulls {Larus eburneus) 

 were the earliest to arrive, and were found furthest north ; they 

 began to lay eggs before the thaw commenced ; eight only were 

 seen, and all of them upon Prince-Patrick's Land. Seventeen 



I 



