II.-THE BOTANY OF THE SOUTH ORKNEYS. 1 



By R. N. RUDMOSE BROWN, D.Sc., and 0. V. DARBISHIRE, B.A., Ph.D. 



(\Vith a Plate.} 



I. INTRODUCTORY. 



By R. N. RUDMOSE BROWN, D.Sc. 



THE small group of islands known as the South Orkneys is situated between 60 and 61 

 S. and 44 and 47 W., about 600 miles S.E. by E. of the Falkland Islands, and about 

 200 miles east of the nearest islands of the South Shetlands. They were discovered in 

 1821 by Powell in the sloop Dove, and were subsequently visited by Weddell in the 

 brigs Jane and Beaufoy in 1823, by Dumout d'Urville in the Astrolabe in 1838, and 

 by Larsen in the whaler Jason in 1893. 



In February 1903 the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition in the ship Scotia 

 made a landing on Saddle Island the most northerly island of the group on their 

 way to the south. In the end of March the same year the Scotia returned to the 

 islands to winter, and spent eight months at Laurie Island. The group consists of two 

 large islands Coronation and Laurie Island, and many smaller ones. Coronation 

 Island, or Mainland, is the westerly, and Laurie Island the easterly. It was on the 

 latter island, in the south of which is Scotia Bay, that the greater part of the botanical 

 collections were made. These two islands are separated from one another by two small 

 islands and Washington and Leathwaite Straits. Of the outlying islands the most 

 important is Saddle Island, lying about eight miles north of Laurie Island. Ailsa Craig, 

 mentioned several times in this paper, is a large rocky crag standing at the mouth of 

 Scotia Buy. Deep bays run into the land from north and south, separated by narrow 

 rocky peninsulas or steep and lofty mountain ranges. All the valleys are choked with 

 glaciers, despite the relatively small gathering-ground on the heights above, and what 

 little exposed rock is visible is precipitous in the extreme. It is only here and there 

 that a few acres of more or less level ground are to be found on the lower slopes or at 

 sea-level. Although in a comparatively low southern latitude, the South Orkneys are 

 sometimes ice-bound for some six to eight months of the year. In other years they 

 may enjoy more oceanic conditions and escape this extreme rigour. In midwinter 

 practically everything, even to the faces of precipitous cliffs, is covered with snow, and 



1 Reprinted with alterations and corrections from Trams, and 1'roc. Bot. Soc. Edin., xxiii. i., 1905, pp. 105-110. 



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