ARCTIC FOX, 
277 
night, for a hundred or more versts ; and would 
not even then cease till she had done her enemy 
some material injury, or was herself killed by 
him. 
— In heavy falls of snow, these animals bury 
themselves in that substance, where they lie as 
long as it continues of a sufficient depth. They 
swim across the rivers with great agility. Besides 
what the sea casts up,, or what is destroyed by 
other" beasts., they seize the sea-fowl, by night, 
on the Clifts, where it has settled to sleep ; but, 
on the contrary/ they are themselves frequently 
victims to the birds of prey. Though now found 
in such numbers on this island, they were probably 
conveyed thither from the continent, on the drift- 
ice ; and being afterwards nourished by the great 
quantity of animal substances thrown ashore by 
the* sea; they became thus enormously multiplied/' 
We are informed by Mr. Grant z, that the 
arctic foxes exert an extraordinary degree of cun- 
ning in their mode of obtaining fish for prey. 
They go into the water, and make a splash w ith 
their feet, in order to disturb the scaly tribes ; 
and when these come up/ immediately seize therm 
He says that in imitation to these animals, the 
Greenland women have adopted the same method 
with success. Charlevoix, apparently alluding to 
this species, says that they exert an almost incredi- 
ble degree of cunning in entrapping the different 
kinds of water-fowl. They advance a little way 
into the water ; and afterwards retire, playing a 
thousand antic tricks on the banks. The fowl 
approach ; and on their coming near, the fox ceases, 
that he may not alarm them, only moving about 
his tail very gently : the formdr are said to be so 
foolish as to come up now and peck at it; when 
he immediately springs round upon them, and sel- 
dom misses his aim. 
