Natural History of East Finmarh. 347 



^' Gaisa " * system. It consists of two series — an upper, which 

 is continued from tlie North Cape along tlie East Fininark 

 coast as far as the Tana Fiord; and a lower series, commencing' 

 on the eastern side of the Tana Fiord and extending tlience 

 to Nordvaranger. Tlie '' Gaisa " system is composed of con- 

 glomerates embracing lumps of sandstone, quartz, granite, 

 dolomite, &c. Up to the time of my visit all attempts to fitid 

 embedded fossils in the fragments of these conglomerate rocks, 

 and thus obtain a clue to their age, liad been unavailing. A 

 beautiful section of these rocks was seen from the steamer as we 

 passed KjoUe and Ox Fiords, the strata presenting layers of 

 very varied and lovely colouring. The geological formation at 

 Vadso and the noithern shores of the Varanger Fiord consists 

 of " Gaisa," with some glacial deposits here and there along 

 the shore ; but on crossing the tiord to Sydvaranger this inter- 

 esting formation is left behind and the rocks are again igneous. 

 This geological change, of course, cannot be without exhibiting 

 effects on the flora and perhaps also on the fauna of the tiords. 

 The chief factor, however, which influences the fauna of 

 East Finmark consists in the difi:erence of climate. West 

 Finmark, up to the North Cape and beyond it, is indebted to 

 the influence of the Gulf Stream for a temjjerature all through 

 the winter months whicli keeps the sea free from ice. The 

 climatic conditions of the Varangei- Fiord are, however, very 

 different, and the smaller flords, such as those of iSydvaranger, 

 where my dredging was chiefly carried on, are completely 

 frozen over from December or January to the middle of May 

 or into June, the ice attaining a thickness of 2 to o feet. As 

 a necessary consequence the fauna of the Varanger Fiord and 

 of the other fiords of that district is of more arctic character 

 than that round the North Cape, although in latitude the 

 latter is somewhat more northern. In the summer months 

 the difference of temperature is evidenced by the dense fogs 

 which are commonly met with off the coast of East Finmark, 

 and which are the result of contact of the warm air coming 

 from the west with the cold currents passing westward from 

 the Kara tSea. It was in one of these fogs, during which we 

 had to lie to for twenty-seveu hours, that while other 

 passengers were filling great tubs with the cod which so 

 freely took the bait, I employed my time in canting from the 

 deck of the steamer a little hand-dredge otf the mouth of 

 Lakseijord, and thus obtained animals some of which are 

 recorded as from that locality in the following notes. 



* Gaisa, tlie name of a mountaiu in the Porsauger district. 



