General observations as to natural conditions. 365 



gently down, there is but little shelter to be found, so that there will 

 doubtless be but little snow in winter, save for large drifts at certain 

 spots. For this reason, the place is a favourite haunt of musk ox and 

 hare, which we found here in great numbers, the animals again contri- 

 buting their share towards the general fertility of the place by the quan- 

 tities of dung which were everywhere visible. By way of illustrating 

 the resources of the valley, I may mention that we were obhged, during 

 our stay there, to use willow twigs for fuel, there being but little of the 

 cassiope which we generally used. The willow, however, was so abun- 

 dant, that a quarter of an hour sufficed for the gathering of a whole 

 sackful, sufficient for two fires. 



On the 2nd July we had continual rain or fog, which rendered all 

 attempts at surveying the surrounding country fruitless. 



The main river in the valley runs first on the right side, crossing 

 then to the left — the altitude here is 525 metres — and continuing 

 down that side to the lake. A big river runs straight down across the 

 valley from the south-west, forming the natural boundary of the raised 

 beach land, the country behind it being apparently old moraine deposit. 

 Animal life was here abundant, and there were numbers of breeding 

 birds on and about the numerous small lakes. We also found antlers, 

 indicating that reindeer had formerly lived here; these animals have, 

 however, now become extinct here, as in other regions on the east coast 

 of Greenland. 



On the 8th July, despite the rain and fog which were now exhausting 

 our patience, I went in through the valley, hoping to get some idea of 

 the surrounding country if the weather should clear up. In this, however, 

 I was disappointed. After a 12 hours' tramp in the wet I came to a rocky 

 height, at which point the valley appears to divide into two, one running 

 north and the other west. This hill I have marked on the map from 

 an estimate of the course of the glacier. We saw what appeared to be a 

 continuous 'range of hills far away to the west; owing to the bad weather, 

 however, we were unable to get an accurate survey for the map. 



In order to avoid misunderstanding, I may state that I have thought 

 it correct to draw the boundaries of the localities named by Peary as 

 follows: By Melville Land I understand the country east of Brønlunds 

 Fjord; Heilprins Land being the land between Brønlunds Fjord and 

 Cape Schmelck, while west of this, Adam Bierings Land begins. Academy 

 Land should be the country between Academy Glacier and the glaciers 

 at Cape Grundloven. 



As already mentioned, the boundary between Independence Fjord 

 and Nyeboes Bræ, — a limit which it is difficult to determine, and which 

 is doubtless not constant in itself — has been taken as at Cape Schmelck, 

 where the cliffs which rise perpendicularly up from the ice run out in a 

 north-westerly direction as far as Skelelvens Næs. The height of this 

 range is fairly constant. We were unable to get up to the cliff itself 



26* 



