18 H. G. SIMMONS. [SEC. ARCT. EXP. FRAM 



of higher plants. Neither does immigration by means of birds play any 

 prominent part, and I think it is only to the circumstance that Castle 

 and Devil's Islands serve as rookeries, that they owe their comparatively 

 large stock of plants which have been brought over as nest-building 

 material. 



Had they been encircled by a less strong current, so that the sea 

 might have been icebound for the greater part of the year the flora 

 would probably have been somewhat different. There would have been no 

 rookeries, the birds would not have contributed much to the immigration 

 of plants, but, on the other hand, there would have been another means 

 of migration the wind-transport over the snow-covered ice in winter. 

 I have more than once seen that plant fragments are whirled away for 

 long distances over the hard-blown snow, and I do not doubt that this 

 means of transport plays a prominent part in the migration of arctic 

 plants, many of which are w winter-standers u . 1 also think that the 

 island of North Kent in part has to thank the fast-bound ice at its 

 northern parts, for the relatively rich flora it possesses. The ice here 

 forms a bridge which may facilitate immigration both from Ellesrnere- 

 land, N. Devon, and other islands to the west. However, the geological 

 nature of the northern parts of the island also is different and more 

 favorable than that in Castle and Devil's Islands. 



III. North Kent. 



Separated from Ellesmereland by the Hell Gate, and from North 

 Devon by Cardigan Strait, the island of North Kent extends between lat. 

 76 27' and 51, and long. 89 45' and 90 35'. The northern part of 

 it has been known since the time of BELCHER'S expedition. It was 

 visited by Mr. SCHEI in 1900, but he brought home neither notes nor 

 collections. In 1901 I visited the northern part (July 13), and in 1902 

 some points on the south coast. 



The southern part of the island is built up of Silurian limestone of 

 the better, less siliciferous kind; further north, comes the same series of 

 limestones and sandstones as in Goose Fjord. Loose deposits are present 

 to a large extent, forming a far better soil than that in the last-mentioned 

 small islands. The coast of N. Kent is, for the greater part, formed of 

 high, more or less abrupt cliffs rising to a height of perhaps 1000 feet. 

 In some places, there is a narrow, low beach below and a few valleys 

 trending inland, but rising rather precipitously towards the undulating, 



