Some Notes concerning the Vegetation of Germania Land 369 



still white. The air is, on the whole, dry — also with easterly 

 wind: a somewhat higher percentage of moisture is common with calm. 



With these possibilities for the reawakening of plant-life, spring 

 must be said to have commenced, and a fortnight later I also found 

 decidedly new leaf-shoots upon a Ceras/mm-tuft which on May 21 

 stood under the snow with flowers from the preceding autumn 

 which looked so fresh, that at first sight they could very well be 

 supposed to have expanded recently. 



On the 9th and 10th we had dense frosty fogs with falling 

 temperature, down to — 15.4°. The following days were also rather 

 cold with frequent fogs. But the snow was seen to disappear day 

 by day as soon as the sun came out and exerted some power. 



On the 20th snow fell and formed a thin layer; the following 

 day was also densely cloudy, and there was a fine sprinkling of 

 snow which melted immediately in places previously bare. Then 

 it cleared up for a few days with westerly winds and a temperature 

 of about — 5.0°, until on the 24th we again had fog and snow-squalls. 

 On the 25th a positive temperature was again reached which continued 

 for a longer time. It was cloudy from early morning and in the 

 course of the forenoon snow began to fall so heavily that gradually 

 a layer of it covered everything. But although the sun did not 

 come out this snow melted rather quickly during the afternoon; 

 small pools were formed only upon the bare primitive rocks; other- 

 wise the soil quickly absorbed the moisture thus conveyed to it. 

 At last on the 28th the sun shone in all its splendour from early 

 morning, and as early as 9 a. m. we had a temperature of -f- 3.0°. 

 The wind was then westerly; but soon afterwards it turned to the 

 east and the temperature again went down to below^ zero. Later in 

 the day the fog rolled over the land, and the sun's rays penetrated 

 only slightly through it late in the afternoon. At this time of the 

 year the gravel-fields are thawed to a depth of about 10 cm. Evidently 

 only the warmth of the sun was wanting to call the plants forth. 

 The appearance of a fly announced the reawakening of insect-life. 



At night a large flight of birds occurred and in the evening I 

 saw in Basiskæret Dunlin, Turnstone and Ringed Plover. Further 

 towards the south Sea Gulls had been seen; BufTon's Skua, also, 

 was seen the same night; last year the first one was shot on June 5, 

 but, as mentioned above, I had then already seen two at Cape 

 Marie Valdemar on April 23rd. 



When I ascended the mountains on the 29th and surveyed the 

 sea-ice it displayed several cracks, and it was said that a movement 

 in the ice-fields had also been observed. In spite of an almost 

 positive temperature during the last days of May practically no 



