THE SUB-ARCTIC ZONE. 31 



wood there, found in the north-western part of the island, 

 which he says <( seemed to be oak." The specimen which 

 he mentions was of considerable size, being made use of as 

 a table in a farm-house. When submitted to fire, " it burns 

 with flame ;" but its nature is only incompletely understood 

 at present, and " this substance is one of the interesting 

 objects that remain to be investigated in this remarkable 

 country." 



There are also masses of mineralized wood of a very dif- 

 ferent kind *met with on the mountain of Drapuhlid, which 

 is now almost entirely destitute of vegetation ; it has the 

 appearance of charcoal, but is heavy when lifted, and, unlike 

 that before mentioned, it burns without flame when exposed 

 to heat, and afterwards takes the appearance of fresh wood, 

 though the resemblance is in appearance only, its other pro- 

 perties being very different. These are riddles for philoso- 

 phers to read, and facts to be wondered at by those who are 

 uninitiated in geological mysteries. 



But although the ground which was once covered with 

 forests is now changed to moors and bogs, we must not 

 imagine that there are no sights more cheering than these 

 to be met with in Iceland. There are meadows there as 

 green as ours ; and several kinds of Clover (Trifolium) grow 



