JlI'Keevor's Voyage to Hudson's Bay.' 69 



collected during these excursions. The most abundant is the 

 sorrel, belonging to the species oxalis stricta, or yellow up- 

 right wood-sorrel. The root is creeping : stem erect, branched : 

 leaflets inversely heart-shaped : umbels stalked : axillary : 

 solitary: many-flowered. The flowers are numerous, small, 

 yellow: stamens covered with a downy substance. 



Coltsfoot is also very common : it appeared to belong to the 

 species tupilago sagittata. The flowers were radiated, and of 

 a light flesh-colour, with short obtuse rays : panicle dense : 

 ovate : level-topped : radical leaves, oblong : acute : arrow- 

 shaped : entire, with obtuse lobes. 



Scurvy-grass, or cochlearia Greenland! ca, is found here, as 

 in all northern countries, in great plenty. The root of this 

 herb is white, rather thick, elongated, covered with hairy 

 fibres : the whole herb is smooth, somewhat fleshy, very various 

 in size : stems leafy, angular, branched in a corymbose man- 

 ner. Flowers white: calyx obtuse: spreading: concave: 

 petals inversely egg-shaped : entire : silicles globular : 

 slightly veined : crowned with a short style : seeds, five or six 

 in a shell. It has a warm and bitter taste; a pungent, rather 

 unpleasant smell, when bruised. Its active matter is ex- 

 tracted by maceration in proof spirit, and is said to be of 

 great use in scurvy ; but of this I have had no experience. 



Chick-weed is very common, and belongs to the species 

 arenanu luterifloria, or side-flowing sand-wort. The leaves 

 are ovate : obtuse : peduncles lateral : two-flowered. The 

 stem is short, small, simple : leaves smooth, on short foot- 

 stalks : peduncles single : long: bifid: axillary : corolla larger 

 than the calyx. 



I found a considerable number of auriculas in the 'g-len 

 near the factory ; they appeared to belong to the species of 

 primula corturoide.s. The leaves are of a fine green colour, 

 M'ithout any mealiness ; variously lobed, and toothed : flowers 

 purple, and very handsome. 



There is also an herb, called by the Indians jackasheypuk, 

 found here, though rather in sparing quantity. It much re- 

 sembles creeping-box ; and is only used by the English, or 

 Indians, to mix with tobacco, \vhich makes it smoke mild and 

 pleasant. 



During these excursions we were a good deal annoyed with 

 the musquitos, having neglected to provide ourselves with any 

 means of defence against their troublesome bites. These in- 

 sects are of the gnat tribe, and subsist on the blood and juices 

 of larger animals, which they suck by means of their pro- 

 boscis. In the larva state they live in stagnant waters. They 

 have a small respiratory tube near the tail, and the head armed 



