322 Frits Johansen. 



There are two main kinds of freshwater in North-East Green- 

 land, partlj^ true lakes, formed from an earlier ice-covering or 

 arms of the sea that have become fresh after a long period of 

 time, under a milder climate and with the raising of the land; 

 partly water from the melted snows of the winter in the form 

 of larger or smaller water-courses, small lakes and bogs. In the 

 case of the first-named, the lakes even at the end of the summer 

 always contain some water (though its depth may be but small); 

 whereas the collections of water from the melting snow (at least 

 the rivers) are often quite dried up at this time. Naturallj% it is 

 possible to find a combination of the two kinds at many places; 

 usually the lake has an inlet or outlet and is surrounded by pools 

 or bogs. This however does not apply so much to the deeper 

 lakes, which generally lie more or less up in the land; where these 

 Ьале arisen from the melting of an earlier ice-covering at the place 

 (e. g. numerous lakes on "Koldewey Øer" and "Germania Land"), 

 they usually lie in rocky country, are more or less circular in form 

 and have steep sides the whole way round. If on the other hand 

 the lakes have been old arms of the sea, which have become fresh 

 after the raising of the land, they have as a rule preserved their 

 fjord-form, and here and there along the margin and at one of the 

 ends at least they have low, sand or clay banks. While these 

 "ice lakes" owing to their situation and nptural conditions have not 

 been closely iuAestigated by the Expedition, this has been the case 

 with two of the "sea lakes"; and as the latter are of special interest 

 in regard to their topography, hydrography and animal life, they 

 are described in more detail here. 



If we follow up the large river which falls into "Dove Bugt" near 

 "Hvalrosodden", we come to an extensiAe lake which lies ca. 3 miles 

 from the coast and extends some 25 miles from east to west to the 

 inland ice like a gut ca. 1 — 2 miles broad, following almost the 77"^ 

 parallel. Its name is "Sælsøen" (Seal Lake), as a seal (Phoca foetida L.) 

 was supposed to have been seen in it. The country between the 

 outlet of the river and the sea consists of extensive low plains of 

 gravel, sand and claj^; here and there an outstanding mass of rocks 

 marks an earlier island. But as we gradually mount higher up 

 the lake, the banks become higher (though at most places they are 

 easily accessible, with a foreshore of gravel and stones, probabl}' 

 deposited by the glacial rivers which have run out into or through 

 the lake). Here the water at the banks is shallow, increasing regu- 

 larly in depth out into the lake; but still higher up the lake is 



