FLOKA. 167 



their nutritious properties are not considerable, and, such 

 as they are, are unfortunately impaired by the presence of 

 a bitter principle which is apt to induce diarrhoea. In 

 Franklin and Richardson's terrible overland journey from 

 the Coppermine River to Fort Enterprise it was almost 

 the sole support, at one time, of the heroic little company. 

 Dr Richardson says they gathered four species of Gyro- 

 phora* and used them all as articles of food ; " but not 

 having the means of extracting the bitter principle from 

 them, they proved nauseous to all, and noxious to several 

 of the party, producing severe bowel complaints." Frank- 

 lin on one occasion remarks : " This was the sixth day 

 since we had enjoyed a good meal; the tripe de roche, even 

 when we got enough, only serving to allay the pangs of 

 hunger for a short time." Again, we read : " The want of 

 tripe de roche caused us to go supperless to bed." 



' Dr Hayes, in the course of his "Arctic Boat Journey," 

 was compelled to have recourse to the same unsatisfactory 

 fare. The rock-lichen, or stone-moss, as he calls it, he 

 describes as about an inch in diameter at its maximum 

 growth, and of the thickness of a wafer. It is black exter- 

 nally, but when broken the interior appears white. When 

 boiled it makes a glutinous fluid, which is slightly nutri- 

 tious. 



' " Although in some places it grows very abundantly," 

 writes Dr Hayes, " yet in one locality it, like the game, 

 was scarce. Most of the rocks had none upon them ; and 

 there were few from which we could collect as much as a 

 quart. The difficulty of gathering it was much augmented 

 by its crispness, and the firmness of its attachment. 



' " For this plant, poor though it was, we were compelled 

 to dig. The rocks in every case were to be cleared from 

 snow, and often our pains went unrewarded. The first 

 time this food was tried it seemed to answer well, it at 

 least filled the stomach, and thus kept off the horrid sen- 



-- So called from its circular form, and because the surface of the leaf is marked with 

 cur 



