reason the Eskimos at this time of the year mostly live upon their stores of frozen and dried meat.
Only the wolverine and the wolf can be regarded as being noxious to human beings. The wolverines often plunder the Eskimo caches, for it is said to be easier to build a bearproof meat cache than one that is safe against the attacks of the wolverine. The harm done by the wolves is more indirect, as they hunt in packs near the caribou. It is seldom that they attack man, as they do not venture too near the dog teams of the settlements, even if they are not averse to snapping up a solitary, roaming dog. When most of the men had left Chesterfield with their dogs at the end of February 1922, the wolves sneaked about among the snow huts almost every evening after dark, and the Eskimos were afraid to let their children go out alone.
Spring. The snow bunting (Emberiza nivalis) is the first herald of spring, which often comes in hard frost long before there is any change to be observed on the landscape. On April 12, 1922, on a day when the temperature swung between –16° and –25°, the first snow bunting made its appearance at Baker Lake, and the next year it came to Fullerton on exactly the same date in about –27°. Other birds such as the Lappland bunting (Emberiza lapponica), the redpoll (Cannabina linaria), the horned lark (Octocorys alpestris), and the ptarmigan follow soon afterwards. The caribou from the south also begin to appear here and there, the cows in calf coming first. It is, however, still a month before spring appears in earnest. After the first thaw the Eskimos reckon that there will still be two periods of frost, the last one not until the caribou calves have been born (i. e. in June), and thus it may do considerable harm. The first of these spring frosts is, however, the best time for travelling. After the thaw the surface of the snow is almost turned into ice so that the going is excellent; it is so light that the journey can be continued all night long if necessary; caribou and ptarmigan have commenced to come, and on the sea ice there are seals, so that the question of food causes no difficulty. The drawbacks are the sharp light that is reflected from the snow fields and is apt to cause snow-blindness and a painful, sun-scorched face, and also the dryness of the air which causes the lips to split. The weather is often unsettled, with heavy snow storms, and on occasion there may be violent rain showers and thunder.
During the course of May the naked, brown patches on the hill tops grow in size, and for a short period these become the centres of all life. It is to them that the snow buntings, ptarmigan and other birds resort, and in the snow surrounding them there are labyrinths of hare and marmot tracks. Sledge journeys soon become impossible.
