Photoi/raph by Morten P. PorsUd 

 The Danish Arctic Station, Disco Island, West Greenland, seen across a backwater lagoon. — The 

 flagstaff in the middle distance is planted on gneiss; the wall behind is of basaltic tufa ("Osterli") 

 with rich vegetation; in the far background at the right may be seen the top of the Skarvefjeld, 3200 

 feet elevation. Herr PorsiWs laboratories are in the right wing of the building, the living rooms oc- 

 cupying the left wing 



and photographic material ; and nearly 

 all the instruments that a field scientist 

 requires. A powerful motor boat, "Clio 

 Borealis," properly arranged and 

 equipped for dredging as well as for 

 travel, is connected with the station. 

 Eunning water from the warm springs 

 supplies the whole station nearly all the 

 year. 



The liljrary contains thousands of 

 volumes, needless to state nearly all of 

 scientific character. Herr Porsild's 

 friends and acquaintances are legion, 

 and through them he has acquired large 

 numbers of standard works in science, 

 including periodicals, from all parts of 

 the world. By no means exhaustive or 

 complete, his is nevertheless a very 

 good working library. 



Herr Porsild, himself, is peculiarly 

 well fitted, both by temperament and 

 training, to direct the activities of the 

 station. He is a powerfully built man, 

 six feet tall, and broad in proportion. 



sturdy and healthy as the Viking stock 

 from which he sjDrings. Even though 

 he is forty-five years old, he can tramp 

 all day with a pack over his shoulder, 

 up and down the steep, rough slopes of 

 Disco. He has become an expert dog 

 driver, and throughout the sledging 

 season is out in all kinds of weather 

 and in all kinds of ice conditions, 

 thinking nothing of the hardshi2:)s or 

 the hazards of the trail. 



Under Arctic conditions such as 

 those that surround him, most men pos- 

 sessed of good nature, cheerful philos- 

 ophy, and genial sense of humor would 

 lose them in a few years, but he has re- 

 tained all. Throughout the year he is 

 either out of doors busily engaged in 

 investigation and research, or in his 

 library, herbarium, or laboratory, study- 

 ing or developing the results of his out- 

 door activities, and it would be hard to 

 find anywhere a man more happy and 

 content in liis work and station than 



