Mountain and Forest Rambles. 203 



were impressive. The eye satisfied, the lichenose vegetation 

 claimed our next attention ; and after an hour's treat in that 

 way, we, dinner being disposed of, proceeded across the 

 mountain ridge to the chin. The rock vegetation of course 

 was the same, but we here found a wide barren moor covered 

 with interesting plants. Carex rigida and /uncus tufidus 

 abounded ; also the Agrostis canlna, vai^iety alpiiii^, composed, 

 in places, the sod. ^renaria greenlandica sprung out of the 

 crevices and was full of flowers. Parmelia vejitosa was in 

 great beauty. Lecidea geographica was conspicuous. Par- 

 ME^LiA centrifuga, contrasted with Parme^lia stygia and P. 

 saxatilis, was parasitic on Cetra^ria glaaca. A narrow va- 

 riety of Cetr. islandica, but unfertile, constantly occurred. 

 The rocks exposed to the sun were clothed with Umbili- 

 caria, of which I gathered U. U. hyperborea, pustidafa, erosa, 

 probosc'idea. Large patches of Biato'ra icniadophila spread 

 over the decaying wood and moss, accompanied by Biat. 

 decolorans. On the summit of the chin I found the beautiful 

 Cetra^ria cucullata, and contiguous, CladoVia gracilis, va- 

 riety elongata, with vermicular is and talirica. Upon the 

 heath or moor, a soil seemingly nothing but decayed sphag- 

 num, I found A^alix repens, Faccinium vitis idcna, very di- 

 minutive in size, the " Small Cranberry," ( F. oxycoccus,) 

 E'mpetrum nigrum, Faccinium uliginosum, &.c. 



Our specimens carefully packed in the space made in our 

 provender basket by the incursion of appetite, and stowed 

 away in sundry pockets and wherever they could be best 

 accommodated, we descended, in single file, the precipitous 

 back of the chin, culling whatever could be safely picked 

 on the way. Arrived at its base, it seemed a perilous descent, 

 but onward was now the word, so bending our steps towards 

 a little pond in the distance, we at length reached its margin. 

 Its waters were clear but shallow, and on its bottom grew the 

 IbOCTES lacustris. The tall spiked Platanthe^ra dilatata, 

 with pure white flowers, also grew near by. A complete 

 carpet of a short, close sphagnum, which I have provisionally 

 considered Sph. molluscum, was full of capsules. This fairy 

 lakelet, thus elevated into the subregion of clouds, was the 



