474 NEW LAND 



It had been my intention to start dredging as early as possible in 

 the year, and to try to get back in time for land excursions along the 

 outer and as yet little investigated part of Gaasefjord and Hvalrosfjord. 

 But as I could not have the boat and crew before July 7, and as then 

 unforeseen circumstances prolonged our boat-journey to the beginning 

 of August, the collections of land vegetation made during the last 

 summer amount to very little. 



On our boat trip this time we visited the little island of Borgen, 

 where I found only eleven kinds of phanerogams ; besides which were 

 mosses, lichens, and freshwater algae, cryptogams being somewhat better 

 represented. Our next station was Cape Yera, on the coast of North 

 Devon, where the vegetation on the low strip of shore, in spite of its 

 limestone formation, was, if not very varied, yefc extremely abundant, 

 resulting from the rich soil under the cliffs, which were inhabited by 

 many thousands of birds. I saw here, for the first time, red snow in 

 considerable quantities, and took specimens of it. 



"We followed hence the coast of North Devon up to the north side 

 of Norfolk Inlet, where, for more than a week, we were imprisoned by 

 ice on a little island, and only with difficulty succeeded in making good 

 a retreat to the coast of Ellesmere Land. We dredged at all the 

 stations during this expedition until we were compelled to devote our 

 time exclusively to rowing back. The last day, however, I succeeded 

 in acquiring a new species for Ellesmere Land, namely, Dupontia 

 Fisher i. Of sea-weeds I collected a great quantity, though of not 

 many different species ; a few, possibly, were not among the collections 

 of the previous years. 



After leaving Gaasefjord, on the morning of August 6, we entered 

 Havnefjord the following day, and anchored at our old winter quarters. 

 Although we lay there about a day and a half, I was, unfortunately, only 

 able to make a short trip ashore. I collected a little, chiefly grasses, 

 which were unusually tall and abundant that year. I also brought back 

 some living plants, which crossed the Atlantic in safety, and are now 

 planted in the Botanical Gardens at Christiania. 



The specific names used in the foregoing are those to be found in 

 the usual botanical manuals, in particular Lange's ' Conspectus Florae 

 grccnlandiciB.' Criticism of names, as well as of classification, are 

 deferred until it is possible to publish more detailed accounts. 



I have chiefly occupied myself in the foregoing with the contribu- 

 tions to our knowledge of the vascular plants of these tracts, as acquired 

 by the expedition. Besides this, however, I endeavoured to make as 

 many observations as possible as to the composition of the vegetation in 

 various places, its conditions of life, and the like. It is difficult, 

 however, to give a short summary of these results, and I think it 



