126 CRUISE of THE NEPTUNE 
considerably higher than those to the eastward, the greater part 
of the interior being above 1,000 feet, while in the southern 
part the plateau reaches an altitude of 3,000 feet. The soil 
from the Carboniferous rocks being richer and deeper than that 
on the bare limestone islands, supports a good growth of arctic 
vegetation, and in consequence the valleys leading to the coast 
are the feeding grounds of large bands of musk-oxen, barren- 
ground caribou and arctic hares, this abundance of animal life 
being in marked contrast to that on the barren limestone islands. 
The lowlands bordering the sea in the northwest part of the 
island are formed of Miocene-Tertiary deposits, containing 
numerous trees allied to those now covering the wooded northern 
parts of the mainland, far to the southward. The presence of 
these trees shows that, in the period before the Ice-age, the 
climate of these northern islands must have been much warmer 
than at present. 
ISLANDS of GROUP IV. 
The island of Ellesmere is only second in size to baffin island, 
and is remarkable for its north end extending to beyond the 
eighty-third parallel of n. latitude, or to within 500 miles of 
the north Pole. Its length from north to south covers nearly 
seven degrees of latitude, or approximately 500 miles; its 
greatest breadth across the northern part exceeds 200 miles. 
Being deeply indented by large bays both on its east and west 
sides, its outline is quite irregular. Smith sound, and its north- 
ern extensions Kennedy and robeson channels, separate the 
eastern shores of Ellesmere from the northern part of Green- 
land. 
The general elevation of the island is high, and probably 
exceeds 2,500 feet. In the northern part the United States 
mountains are upwards of 4,000 feet high, while isolated peaks 
of this range reach a height of almost 5,000 feet. It is remark- 
able that this high northern land is not covered with  
