472 NEW LAND. 



able to judge for the present, the collections are furthermore increased 

 by a number of cryptogams which have not been found before. 



On August 9 we left winter quarters, and steered west. On the 

 llth a short visit was made to the coast of North Devon, where, 

 however, I was only able to visit one place a low peninsula entirely 

 formed of limestone rocks and their debris. It consequently sustained 

 a very meagre vegetation, and only nineteen species of phanerogams 

 were observed ; some cryptogams were, however, collected. 



An attempt to sail farther north-west after passing through Cardigan 

 Strait led to our being beset in the ice, and it was only after we had 

 been detained a month, thus losing a considerable part of the short 

 working season, that we got free and went into winter quarters in 

 Gaasef jord. After our arrival there I made a collection of lichens, and 

 I had also an opportunity of doing some dredging before the fjord was 

 covered with ice. The result, however, was little enough, for the 

 bottom consisted chiefly of mud, on which grew hardly anything except 

 Phyllopliora interrupta. 



Earlier in the summer Herr Bay had now and again dredged in 

 Havnef jord, and had handed over to me the sea-weeds he had found on 

 those occasions. But as the bottom even there was unsuited for the 

 growth of algae, the botanical result was very small. I therefore 

 thought my time would be better spent on land-excursions than in 

 dredging, which, as far as I was concerned, was almost a waste of time. 



The third winter was characterized, particularly near our winter 

 quarters, by almost continuous wind, which made it exceedingly 

 unpleasant, and often quite impossible, to go ashore. In addition to 

 this, the country round our winter quarters was poor in vegetation, 

 and consequently the winter observations were still fewer than the 

 previous year. Even the observations of radiated heat were very 

 incomplete, as thermometers in vacua absolutely necessary instruments 

 for carrying out the observations were not included in the equipment 

 of the expedition. The summer of 1901 began very late ; June 18 

 was the first day with a mean temperature above Cent., and, 

 consequently, all plants were extremely late in showing signs of life. 

 It was not till June 22 that Saxifraga oppositifolia was found in blossom 

 near our winter quarters, but Herr Schei saw it in bloom on the 

 west coast on the 15th. Only one other species, Drala hirta, came into 

 flower before the end of the month. 



On June 24 I started with Herr Bay on a dredging-expedition, 

 which, though calculated only to last a fortnight, took us a whole month. 

 During this time we visited several points on the coast of Ellesmere 

 Land, from the mouth of Gaasef jord, up through Hell Gate, to Xordstrand. 

 We dredged at most of the stations, and also made short excursions 



