myself very nice, I soon made the experiment, and found the flesh much
resembling that of kid, and afterwards frequently had a supper of it."

Sir James Clarke Ross, during his five years' imprisonment in Boothia
Felix and the adjoining seas, had ample means of judging of its flavour;
he tells us that some of his party, who were the first to taste them,
named them "lambs," from their resemblance in flavour to very young
lamb. He adds, that the flesh of the old fox is by no means so
palatable. During that disastrous expedition the flesh of this fox
formed one of the principal luxuries of their table, and it was always
"reserved for holidays and great occasions. We ate them boiled, or, more
frequently after being parboiled, _roasted_, in a pitch kettle."

When the Arctic Expedition in search of Franklin wintered in Leopold
Harbour in 1848-49, the commander, Sir J. C. Ross, made use of the
Arctic fox as a messenger. Having caught some of these animals in traps,
a collar with information for the missing parties was put round the neck
of each before liberation, as the fox is known to travel great distances
in search of food. On Captain Austin's subsequent expedition in 1850-51
the same plan was carried out, but it was found to be equally without
result. Commander Osborn thus facetiously describes the
circumstance.[119] "Several animals thus intrusted with despatches or
records were liberated by different ships; but, as the truth must be
told, I fear in many cases the next night saw the poor 'postman,' as
Jack termed him, in another trap, out of which he would be taken,
killed, the skin taken off, and packed away to ornament at some future
day the neck of some fair Dulcinea. As a 'sub,' I was admitted into this
secret mystery, or, otherwise, I with others might have accounted for
the disappearance of the collared foxes by believing them busy on their
honourable mission. In order that the crime of killing 'the postmen' may
be recognised in its true light, it is but fair that I should say, that
the brutes, having partaken once of the good cheer on board or around
the ships, seldom seemed satisfied with the mere empty honours of a
copper collar, and returned to be caught over and over again. Strict
laws were laid down for their safety, such as that no fox taken alive in
a trap was to be killed: of course no fox was after this taken alive;
they were all unaccountably dead, unless it was some fortunate wight
whose brush and coat