363 



Scoresby Sund. 



Jameson Land, Dinosaur Cleft (Clir. Kruuse). 



On July 31*'^ we landed, as mentioned in the account 

 of the voyage p. 167, about 5 miles north of Cape Stewart 

 by the Dinosaur Cleft. The stream which runs through it 

 is very abundant in water, fills up the whole bottom of the 

 cleft, and seeks its way between and over numerous loose 

 blocks. The cleft is narrow, and its steep sides are covered 

 with débris of sandstone, which slip away under foot. Here 

 and there a bit of solid rock, sandstone or basalt, sticks out 

 and gives shelter to a little vegetation. At the top the cleft 

 widens to a kettle-shaped valley, from which 3 more even, 

 V-shaped river-valleys rise towards the plateau above Ne i lis 

 Klipper. I principally followed the north side of the cleft, 

 where the vegetation was comparatively luxuriant and very 

 abundant in species in contradistinction to the shady side, 

 where snow-drifts and bare gravel alternate with little moss- 

 grown patches. 



Up to about 100 metres' elevation above the level of the 

 sea the vegetation was rocky-flat formation, an open growth 

 with the bare soil between the singly placed individuals; but 

 these were tall, powerful, and in full blow, and the reason why 

 they did not form a cover was evidently partly scarcity of 

 water, partly the slipping, rather unstable ground. Wherever 

 solid rock or large blocks hindered the gravel from gliding 

 down were little covers, and especially where a little of the loose 

 soil went right down to the bank of the stream, these were 

 luxuriant. I noticed on this stretch of land the following spe- 

 cies all in bloom: 



Potentilla maculata, Cerastium alpimün, C. trigynum^ 

 Draha hirta, D. Fladnizensis, Arahis alpina, Papaver radi- 

 catum, Chamœnerium latifolium, Silène acaidis^ Alsine biflora, 



25* 



