IN THE YEAR 1613. 
61 
upon at the first beginning of their sommer; for tlieise bare 
spotts were very full of their ordure : and, besides, wee could 
not see anie other thing for them to feed upon. 
The thawe began this yeare about the 10 th of June; at 
w ch time ther began to spring up, in some places where the 
snowe was melted, a certaine stragling grasse, w th a blewish 
flower, much like to young heath, or ling, w ch growes upon 
moreish grounds in the north parts of England. And this is 
that wherwithall the deare, in a short time, become exceeding 
fatt. But how they liue in the time of extreame winter, when 
all is couered w th snowe, I cannot imagine. 5 Yet the meanes of 
their preseruacon is not more strange to man’s capacitie then 
is their creation: and, therfore, wee must knowe that He 
who made the creature hath also ordained that he shal be 
fed; although, to our understandings, ther is not anie food to 
sustaine them. 
In the monetlis of June, Julye, and the beginning of August, 
ther is oftentimes pleasant and warme weather; but, in the 
other moneths, certainlie very uncomfortable. For the tem¬ 
perature of the winter time maie be iudged, by the qualitie of 
the place, to be extreame could, especiallie dureing that time 
wherein the sunne shal be altogether depressed under the 
horizon ; w ch , in the former latitude of 79 degr., continues from 
the 11 th of October till the 10 th of Februarye: and contrarilie 
it is eleuated altogether aboue the horizon from the 9 th of 
April till the 14th of August. The rest of the time is an in- 
5 Purchas, with Foiherby's notes before him, writes thus: “Greenland is a place 
in nature nothing like vnto the name; for certainly thei’e is no place in the world, yet 
knowne and discouered, that is lesse greene than it. It is couered with snow, both the 
mountaines and the lower lands, till about the beginning of June, being very moun¬ 
tainous ; and beareth neither grasse nor tree, save onely such as grow vpon the moores 
and heathie grounds in the north parts of England, which we call heath, or ling. This 
groweth when the snow melteth, and when the ground beginneth to be uncouered: 
and on this doe the deere feed in the summer-time, and become very fat therewithal 
in a moneth’s space; but how they liue in the winter-time, it is not easily to be 
imagined,” &c. 
