S8 



NATURALIST'S GUIDE TO THE AMERICAS 



that do not melt are those of late August 

 or early September. The depth of snow, 

 even after a winter's accumulation, 

 is rarely over 2 or 3 ft., because the 

 relative humidity is frequently so low 

 that a great deal of snow evaporates 

 even in the coldest weather. When the 

 snow begins melting in June under the 

 continuous sunlight, every canyon and 

 valley holds a roaring torrential moun- 

 tain stream which flows with heavy 

 volume until melting ceases. Rain 

 rarely falls; yet when the chinook comes 

 down off the ice-cap, rain may fall 

 even in January. The region is one of 

 general low humidity. 



The winds are cyclonic in character. 

 The heaviest storms come from the 

 southwest with destructive on-shore 

 winds. In the bays and fjords the 

 winds invariably blow down to the sea 

 from the ice-cap, no matter what the 

 wind may be above the plateau. Sud- 

 den winds sometimes sweep down off 

 the plateau or from the ice-cap and 

 drive the shore-ice out to sea even in 

 mid-winter. 



The period of continuous night be- 

 gins about mid-October and ends about 

 mid-February. Continuous sunlight 

 begins about mid-April and lasts until 

 mid-August. Between mid-February 

 and mid-April the days lengthen and 

 the nights shorten; between mid- August 

 and mid-October the days shorten 

 and the nights lengthen. The night 

 is rarely so dark as to stop traveling 

 or sledging entirely, and throughout 

 the moon-lighted periods during which 

 the moonlight is continuous, all activ- 

 ities can be carried on without diffi- 

 culty. During the period of continuous 

 sunshine, noon and midnight do not 

 differ greatly in temperature or inten- 

 sity of light. The air is always fresh 

 and clean. 



BIOTA 



Because of the short growing season 

 and the long dry cold period no trees or 

 shrubs grow in the homeland of the 

 Polar Eskimo. The tallest tree is the 

 Arctic willow, a scant three inches in 



height. Over a hundred species of 

 vascular plants grow in the region. 

 The sedges, blue grasses, and similar 

 grassy plants grow luxuriantly. Two 

 are particularly abundant — Poa pra- 

 tensis and Alopeciirus alpinus. On 

 some of the talus slopes manured by 

 nesting birds, the mat of grasses is 

 thick and heavy. Mushrooms are com- 

 mon and lichens clothe the rocks. 

 Flowering plants, though small and 

 relatively inconspicuous, grow in dense 

 mats on favorable slopes where the sun 

 shines warmly, and moisture is ample. 



Due in large measure to the rich 

 carbon dioxide content of the water 

 and the continuous sunlight, the plank- 

 ton development in the sea is incredibly 

 rich throughout the summer, and the 

 heavy growths of laminaria and other 

 sea weeds on every shoal ledge are 

 particularly luxuriant. 



The bird life is incredibly abundant, 

 not in species but in individuals. Of 

 the land birds the ptarmigan and snow- 

 bunting are the most common. Shore- 

 birds, ravens, snowy owls and falcons 

 are rather numerous. The redpolls, 

 wheat-ear, and Lapland longspur all 

 nest in the area. The ptarmigan, 

 ravens, and snowy owls are permanent 

 residents. Of the sea-birds the dove- 

 kies are the most numerous. They 

 nest in suitable slopes of easy gradient 

 along the entire coast in such numbers 

 that they cover the sea when feeding 

 and darken the sky when in flight. 

 Almost as numerous as the dovekies 

 are the murres, that nest on the ledges 

 of the steeper shore cliffs along the 

 coast. The old squaw is common, the 

 red-throated loon frequents the inland 

 pools, and the merganser and green- 

 winged teal are occasionally seen along 

 the coast. The eider duck frequents 

 the coast in thousands, and the black 

 brant is common. Kittiwakes, guille- 

 mots, gulls, jaegers and the fulmars are 

 numerous. All the seabirds find an 

 abundant supply of food in the small 

 life of the cold, well-lighted waters off 

 the shore. 



Animal life on land is relatively scarce. 



