In 1916 to 1917 Dr. Thorild Wulff, the late Swedish botanist, iinder- 

 took botanical investigations in Greenland concerning, among other 

 things, the occurrenoe of microorganisms in the soil and in excrements of 

 arctic animals. As this kind of research only has heen carried on to a shght 

 extent in arctic regions, Dr. Wulff's investigations are of great interest, 

 the more so as some of the districts investigated had never been trodden 

 by human feet, the primeval micro-flora being thus intact. 



Dr. Wulff's material has been collected in four areas: at Disko 

 on the West coast of Greenland (69° N. L.), where Dr. Wulff stayed 

 with Dr. Porsild at the Danish Arctic Station Godhavn; north of Uper- 

 nivik, and at the district of Cape York, also on the West coast; and, 

 finally, at the North coast of Greenland, visited by Dr. Wulff as a 

 member of the Second Thule Expedition. At Disko the collections were 

 undertaken in the period of July 8. to 18., 1916, at Upernivik on Aug. 

 4. 1916, at the district of Cape York in October 1916, and at the North 

 coast of Greenland from April 23. to July 7., 1917. Dr. Wulff died on 

 the return journey of the Expedition from the North coast. 



The samples were collected in sterile test tubes. Of the total of 29 

 samples gathered, 14 were soil-samples from Disko, 2 soil-samples and 

 5 excrement-samples from the district of Cape York, and 2 soil-samples 

 from north of Upernivik and 4 excrement-samples from the North 

 coast of Greenland. 



The following arrangement was made with regard to the preparation 

 of the material : the examination for Bacteria was undertaken by Prof. 

 Barthel of Stockholm; for Saccharomyces by Dr. KIocker of Copen- 

 hagen; and for Mouids and Actinomyces, by Prof. Hagem of Bergen. The 

 contents of the vessels were examined first by Prof. Barthel, next by 

 Prof. Hagem, and last by Dr. Klocker. 



After Professor Hagem had piated his cultures and isolated the 

 mouids appearing, he became, however, prevented from completing the 

 work. The writer was tlien (1924) entrusted with the f urther pre- 

 paration of the mouids and Actinomyces, receiving from Prof. Hagem 

 50 pure cultures of fungi; Prof. Hagem had himself identified the isolated 

 fungi in seven cases. 



It must be borne in mind that a long time had elapsed between 



