GEOLOGICAL FEATURES OF COAST. 341 



stone — much broken down by the wasting influences 

 of the winter frosts and summer thaws. Behind these 

 cliffs the land rose into lofty peaks, such as I have be- 

 fore described. Upon the sides of these peaks the 

 snow rested, clothing them with a uniform whiteness ; 

 but nowhere was there any evidence of mountain- 

 ice. Along the entire coast of Grinnell Land no gla- 

 cier appears, presenting thus a striking contrast to 

 Greenland and the land on the south side of the 

 Channel which I discovered while crossing Smith 

 Sound — the Ellesmere Land of Captain Inglefield. 



During this day's journey I had discovered numer- 

 ous traces of the former presence of Esquimaux. 

 They were similar to those which I had before found 

 in Gould Bay. I also picked up some fossils at Cape 

 Frazer and other places, which clearly exhibited the 

 character of the rock. There were but few traces of 

 vegetation in those places where the land had been 

 bared of snow by the winds. A willow stem (prob- 

 ably, salix arctica), a single specimen of a dead saxi- 

 frage (saxifraga oppositifolla), and a tuft of dried grass 

 (festuca ovina), were all that I found. 



published in Silliman's Journal, for July, 1865, Prof. Meek enumerates 

 and describes twelve species. Some of the specimens were imperfect, and 

 their specific character could not be determined. The list is as follows : — 



1. Zaphrentis Hayesii. 7. Rhynchonella * * * *. 



2. Syringopora * * * *. 8. Coelospira concava. 



3. Favosites * * * *. 9. Spirifer * * * *. 



4. Strophomena Rhomboidalis. 10. Loxunema Kanei. 



5. Strophodonta Headleyana. 11 Orthoceras * * * *. 



6. Strophodonta Beckii. 12. Illcenus * * * *. 



Prof. Meek makes this observation : — " From the foregoing list, it is 

 believed that geologists will agree that the rocks at this highest locality at 

 which fossils have ever been collected, belong to the Upper Silurian era. 

 The most remarkable fact, however, is, that they are nearly all very 

 jlosely allied to, and some of them apparently {indistinguishable from 

 species found in the Catskill shaly Limestone of the New York Lowei 

 Helderberg group." 



