356 Morten P. Porsild 



the coastal districts the heaths, the rocky flats and the bogs have 

 almost the same appearance as those on Disco; the latter place may 

 have some southern species more, or extreme northern species fewer, 

 but this fact does not alter the general character. Grassy fields 

 (Urtemark) or slopes (Urteli), according to Warming's definition of 

 these terms are, on the other hand, highly restricted, and are limited 

 to very small spots. Their existence is to be expected in relation to the 

 local topographical conditions — shelter, exposition, snow-covering, 

 etc. — and not according to the colour of the plant-covering which 

 may be seen from afar. The conditions recall those described by 

 me for the southern end of Hare Island (Porsild, Hare Island). 



The vegetation at the head of the fjords was, on the other hand, of 

 great interest. True, the communities there were poorer in species than 

 in the southern, relatively luxuriant districts of Disco, but as regards 

 their development and the luxuriancy of the individual plants they 

 could very well compete with those and even, in places, exceeded 

 them, in spite of the situation being 3° further to the north. 



The low land at the head of Lakse Fjord is characterized by 

 a thicker or thinner layer of morainic deposits with innumerable 

 large and small boulders left behind by the retiring ice. Towards 

 the east, south and north there are high mountains, and the plant- 

 growth bears distinct evidence of the locality there being sheltered 

 during the greater part of the year. There, year by year, one is 

 certain of getting about the same amount of snow, which must fall 

 quietly and evenly everywhere and is not afterwards blown together 

 into heaps in the depressions, leaving the higher parts bare. The 

 heaths were vigorous almost to the same degree in the lower as in 

 the higher localities, and even on the tops of the large erratic boulders, 

 an old, dense vegetation was often found, a fact which is impossible to 

 conceive in connection with the coastal districts of Greenland, except 

 where the boulder may be sheltered by something higher than itself. 

 In the copses the stems stood more erect (see Fig. 6) than is generally 

 the rule in the Greenland willow copses, and the height of the stems 

 is rather considerable, probably because the necessary snow-covering 

 falls quietly and gathers loosely around them and is not blown 

 together into heavy, hard drifts which weigh everything down. The 

 year's shoots of the willow were long and well-grown (see Fig. 5) 

 with long internodes, and only along the margin of the copses the 

 usual appearance was presented of a dense growth like a clipped 

 hedge because the upper part of the year's shoots die and the lower- 

 most buds on them continue the growth. 



In this part the plants must awaken early to renewed activity, 

 as soon as the sun has risen high enough, and undoubtedly while 



