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M A M M A L S OF N O R T H E R N C A N A D A 175
80 yards, and then pick off the restless ones first, which so
greatly bewilders the remainder that they are easily secured.
He was himself one of three who thus shot down a herd of
ten i n three or four minutes. No wonder, therefore, that he
ardently longed for a similar experience at Port Kennedy,
as it would have furnished the crew of his vessel with fresh
meat every day for three months, but unfortunately not an
animal could be seen. In the v i c i n i t y of Fort Conger, Lady
F r a n k l i n Bay, Grinnell Land, i n latitude 81° 44' north and
longitude 64° 45' west, General Greely, U . S. Army, commander
of the American expedition, secured 103 examples
of the musk ox. He gives latitude 83° 3' north as the highest
point where traces of this animal were observed by Lieutenant
( Captain) Lockwood.
One or two writers have said that lichens form an
important item i n the diet of the musk ox, but Greely is
positive ( and I agree w i t h him) that none of his party ever
observed them eating any. while the stomachs of a large
number examined by him did not contain a trace thereof.
The contents clearly demonstrated that they fed on dwarf
willow, saxifrages, and grasses. They use their hoofs in
digging for these when the ground is covered with snow.
There must, however, be fairly good pasturage in certain
fertile spots amid the generally desolate and sterile lands
situated in high latitudes, similar to that described by
Doctor Armstrong as occurring on Baring Island, or it
would be utterly impossible for reindeer and musk oxen to
subsist there, as many do, all the year round. Of course, no
such food scarcity exists on continental America, even in
the so- called " Barren Grounds." Like all wild animals,
the musk ox i n winter quenches its thirst by eating snow.
As spring advanced, the musk oxen of the Anderson
country migrated northward. The females are said to produce
one, and sometimes two, at a birth. The Company's
posts at which skins are usually traded are Fort McPherson
12
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| Title | Page 198 |
| OCR | M A M M A L S OF N O R T H E R N C A N A D A 175 80 yards, and then pick off the restless ones first, which so greatly bewilders the remainder that they are easily secured. He was himself one of three who thus shot down a herd of ten i n three or four minutes. No wonder, therefore, that he ardently longed for a similar experience at Port Kennedy, as it would have furnished the crew of his vessel with fresh meat every day for three months, but unfortunately not an animal could be seen. In the v i c i n i t y of Fort Conger, Lady F r a n k l i n Bay, Grinnell Land, i n latitude 81° 44' north and longitude 64° 45' west, General Greely, U . S. Army, commander of the American expedition, secured 103 examples of the musk ox. He gives latitude 83° 3' north as the highest point where traces of this animal were observed by Lieutenant ( Captain) Lockwood. One or two writers have said that lichens form an important item i n the diet of the musk ox, but Greely is positive ( and I agree w i t h him) that none of his party ever observed them eating any. while the stomachs of a large number examined by him did not contain a trace thereof. The contents clearly demonstrated that they fed on dwarf willow, saxifrages, and grasses. They use their hoofs in digging for these when the ground is covered with snow. There must, however, be fairly good pasturage in certain fertile spots amid the generally desolate and sterile lands situated in high latitudes, similar to that described by Doctor Armstrong as occurring on Baring Island, or it would be utterly impossible for reindeer and musk oxen to subsist there, as many do, all the year round. Of course, no such food scarcity exists on continental America, even in the so- called " Barren Grounds." Like all wild animals, the musk ox i n winter quenches its thirst by eating snow. As spring advanced, the musk oxen of the Anderson country migrated northward. The females are said to produce one, and sometimes two, at a birth. The Company's posts at which skins are usually traded are Fort McPherson 12 |
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