108 A. L. V. Manniche. 



bed on the beach of the lake although I failed in my first shot. In 

 its stomach I found only remnants of plants especially Avithered grass. 



August 7'!^ I saw at the mouth of Lakseelven 15 Barnacles 

 moving on the banks and picking up the short grass. They were 

 very shy. Many pale and abraded feathers, which were left, proved 

 that the Geese were moulting. 



August 15'^^ I met Avith two Barnacles by the steep western banks 

 of Gaasesøen; at my arrival they were walking on the low rocks 

 facing the lake, which were covered with luxuriant alpine willows 

 and other vegetation. The Geese were moulting, and hardly in pos- 

 session of full power of flight; they therefore hurriedly approached 

 the lake, where they were shot. They proved to be old birds male 

 and female. The stomachs and oesophagus of the birds were filled 

 with twigs, leaves and catkins of alpine willow, with seeds of diffe- 

 rent plants and also grass. 



About the same time a larger flock of Barnacles counting some 

 50 birds was seen in the marshes North of the ship's-harbour; but 

 they soon left this place as they were chased and scared by the 

 dogs from the ship. 



June 8'h and 9*^ 1908 I got my first opportunity to study the 

 Barnacles in their real nesting-territory. Up to this time the Geese 

 had led a comfortable and by me unsuspected existence in a lonely 

 marsh- and moor-territory far up country — 10 to 15 kilometer 

 from the nearest salt water — East of Sælsøen imposing by its 

 extent and grandness of scenery. This territory, the farthest extent 

 of which is in a northerly direction, comprises an area of some 20 

 D kilometer; on the North it is bordered by a mountain-range, the 

 lower slopes of which are covered by a vegetation more luxuriant 

 than I saw in any other place in N.-E. Greenland. 



To East and North the marshes lose themselves in barren stony 

 plains sprinkled with sandy spots and a few deep lying fresh-water 

 basins bare of all vegetation. To the South the steep and barren 

 mountain of Trekroner rises to a height of 360 meter in small ter- 

 raced projections. 



In the marsh and moor itself the vegetation was extremely 

 luxuriant; as well the alpine willow as other plants reached here a 

 relatively gigantic size. All over the snow had melted, though it 

 was early in the season, and the place offered an increased allure- 

 ment to the swimmers and waders by the countless ponds of melt- 

 ing snow. 



The influence of the powerfull sun-light on the dark turfy soil 

 surely accounts for the unusually early melting of the snow in this 

 place. 



