THE KING'S MIRROR 141 



in the sea and subsist upon other fishes. They may be 

 freely eaten, though not like the whales, for whale flesh 

 may be eaten on fast days like other fish food, while these 

 fishes may be eaten only on the days when flesh food is 

 allowed. Now I know of nothing else in the waters of 

 Greenland which seems worth mentioning or reporting, 

 only those things that we have just discussed. 



XVII 



THE ANIMAL LIFE OF GREENLAND AND THE CHARACTER 

 OF THE LAND IN THOSE REGIONS 



Son. These things must seem wonderful to all who 

 may hear of them, both what is told about the fishes 

 and that about the monsters which are said to exist in 

 those waters. Now I understand that this ocean must 

 be more tempestuous than all other seas; and therefore 

 I think it strange that it is covered with ice both in win- 

 ter and in summer, more than all other seas are. I am 

 also curious to know why men should be so eager to fare 

 thither, where there are such great perils to beware of, 

 and what one can look for in that country which can be 

 turned to use or pleasure. With your permission I also 

 wish to ask what the people who inhabit those lands live 

 upon; what the character of the country is, whether it 

 is ice-clad like the ocean or free from ice even though the 

 sea be frozen; and whether corn grows in that country 

 as in other lands. I should also like to know whether you 

 regard it as mainland or as an island, and whether there 

 are any beasts or such other things in that country as 

 there are in other lands. 



