Bis present work is intended to furnish a survey of the zoogeogra- 
phical conditions in certain fjords of Southern Greenland, based 
upon their fauna of Crustacea, Pyenogonida and Echinodermata. 
The material was collected during the summer of 1912 with the 
aid of the motor boat “Rink”, belonging to the Committee for Geological 
and Geographical Investigations in Greenland, under the supervision of 
the present writer. In the previous year (1911) Dr. V. NORDMANN had 
been sent out by the Committee to investigate the fauna of Northern 
Stromfjord (W. Greenland, abt. Lat. 6714°N.), this fjord being taken 
as the type of the Greenland fjords, where the temperature of the bot- 
tom water is negative, and all animal life consequently of arctic, or at 
least boreo-arctic character, without true Atlantic (boreal) deep sea 
species. My work on the Crustacea and Pycnogonida from this expedi- 
tion is published in Medd. om Grønland vol. 51, 1913, р. 53—77. 
In contrast to this, the “Tjalfe” expedition of 1908—09 had shown, 
that in some of the fjords of southern Greenland, south of the ridge 
running across Davis Straits at abt. 66° N. lat., there was free access 
for the bottom water of the Atlantic, save in cases where the mouth 
of the fjord itself was barred by a submarine ridge. As a result of these 
conditions, a remarkable phenomenon was here encountered, viz; that 
while the upper water layers were found to contain the usual arctic or 
boreo-arctic littoral fauna, search deeper down revealed the presence 
of Atlantic (boreal) deep sea forms. 
As types of such “Atlantic” fjords were chosen: the Kvanefjord, 
near Frederikshaab (abt. 62° N.) and Bredefjord, between Julianehaab 
and Ivigtut (abt. 61° N.). 
An extract from my instructions (the passages here quoted drawn 
up by the leader of the “Tjalfe” expedition, Museumsinspector Ad. 5. 
Jensen) will give a good idea as to the nature of the task in question. 
“In the course of the investigations made last year in Northern Strom- 
fjord it was found, that the deeper water layers of this fjord were cha- 
racterised by a remarkably low temperature, constantly below 0° C. 
And the dredgings carried out by Dr. NorpMANN furnished an excel- 
lent view of the fauna peculiar to a fjord of this character. 
