1898-1902. No. 19.] STRAY CONTRIBUT. TO THE BOTANY OF N. DEVON. 19 



higher land of the interior which, in the more elevated southern portion, 

 is covered with a large snow field and sends out a glacier down to Cardigan 

 Strait and some small hanging-glaciers into some of the ravines. 



During my first visit to North Kent, when I had not yet seen Castle 

 Island, I thought it very poor land, and I have specially noted that it 

 was far poorer than the neighbouring part of Ellesmereland which shows 

 the same geological character. The fact that it is more difficult for 

 plants to reach the convenient growing-places here than on the mainland, 

 seems to account for the relative scarcity of species of higher plants. 

 The vegetation was, however, dense enough in favorable spots. 



The place (1.) which I visited, July 13, 1901, lies about halfway 

 between De Lacy Head and the easternmost point of the island. From 

 the narrow strip of foreland, a small valley or broad ravine trended 

 steeply upwards to the interior plateau. The loose strata, for the greater 

 part, consisted of gravel with numerous stones of all sizes, with, in some 

 places, also a considerable admixture of clayish material, and locally 

 pure clay, especially along the broad shallow brooks which flowed down 

 from the interior. In the high land of the interior also, there was the 

 same gradual transition from shingle fields to clay plains strewn with 

 stones, or wet clay plains with open an vegetation. In some places, the 

 rock was uncovered or only overlaid with heaps of stones of different 

 sizes, somewhat resembling the talus below the steeper cliffs. 



Among the plants of the lower land, Saxifraga oppositifolia was 

 absolutely predominant, and it was abundant even in the interior, appe- 

 aring with flowers of very different size, shape, and colour in different 

 individuals. Another species, very common in all moist localities, was 

 Saxifraga flagellaris, and the genus was further represented by 4 more 

 species, S. nivalis, S. stellaris var. comosa, S. groenlandica, and 

 cernua. Other plants found here were: Dryas integrifolia, Poten- 

 tllla pulchella, P. emarginata, Draba alpina with its var. gracilescens, 

 D. subcapitata, Cochlearia officinalis var. groenlandica, Papaver radi- 

 catum, Ranunculus nivalis, R. Sabinei, Cerastium alpinum, Stellaria 

 longipes, Alsine verna, Oxyria digyna, Salix arctica, Luzula arcuata 

 var. confu'sa, L. nivalis, Festuca ovina, Poa abbreviata, Glyceria 

 distans, Catabrosa algida, Aira caespitosa var. arctica, Alopecurus 

 alpinus. Cerastium alpinum showed the same transition, from large, 

 hairy forms to the extreme f. pulvinatum, as found in some loca- 

 lities in Ellesmereland. Most of the 28 species enumerated above are 

 included in a little collection in alcohol, which was all I could bring 

 home of flowering plants (2832). 



