of bare ground of that continent. This fact accounts for the profusion
of animal and vegetable life existing there.

One of the most interesting of land animals found in the north is the
musk ox. When fully grown and in good condition this animal weighs five
hundred pounds and upward. When the musk oxen are attacked by wolves or
dogs they form themselves into a circle with their heads on the outside
and conceal their calves under their bodies. Their hair, being long,
reaches nearly to the ground and forms a curtain which completely
conceals the calves from view. Their food is moss and lichens which grow
on the rocks. This they obtain by scraping away the snow with their
sharp hoofs. The flesh of the musk ox, though musk-like in flavor, is
not repulsive to the taste, and several explorers have been saved from
starving by using the flesh for food.

The chief obstacles to arctic exploration are the long winter night,
during which all must remain idle, and the necessity for carrying all
provisions. No one who has not wintered beyond the arctic circle can
have a realization of the influence on the nerves of continual darkness
for months, an influence that has driven many men insane. Combine the
darkness with the weird scenery and the fierce storms that prevail
during the long winter, and it requires a strong will and abiding faith
not to be seriously influenced. The extreme cold is not hard to endure
if one clothes himself in the manner of the Eskimos.

Provisions and supplies must be carried by dog sledges, and the
management of the dog teams is very difficult for those who have not
been trained to the work. Shetland ponies have been tried as draught
animals. Captain Evelyn Baldwin was the first to use them in polar
exploration; others have used them, but less successfully.

Good coal is found in abundance on many of the islands of the arctic.
Its outcroppings are found on Disco Island, west of Greenland, and
excellent coal is found in many places in Spitzbergen, where at the
present time two companies are mining it, one American and the other
English.

Spitzbergen is sometimes called No Man's Land, since Norway and Sweden
have not been able to agree in regard to its possession. Lately the
islands of this archipelago have become favorite resorts for summer
excursionists who can here have the arctic scenery and experiences with
but very few discomforts. Ptarmigan, geese, ducks, and many other kinds
of birds are found on