Prof. N'ordenskidld — Ex2)edition to Greenland. 359 



in company with it, Protococcus nivalis was met with. Amidst tlie 

 fine gravel upon the ice, but to a trifling- amount, small green cells 

 are found, sometimes imited in little groups, sometimes isolated, 

 which appeared to belong to Protococcus vulgaris. Scytomena gracile, 

 on the other hand, is everywhere met with in great profusion, 

 wherever the gravel either lies in thinly scattered grains on the 

 surface of the ice or forms more or less thick layers. The threads 

 lie either alone, or united in small bunches, as they join together 

 at the lower part, and bend backwards higher up. They are pretty 

 stiff, S-shaped, or forming a curve of several undulations, and 

 yellowish-brown in colour. Their length is very various, their 

 breadth generally about 0"009 mm." 



At our midday rest on the 21st we had reached latitude 68° 2V 

 and 36' longitude east of the place where our tent was pitched ; and 

 a height of 1400 feet above the level of the sea. 



Later in the day, at our afternoon rest, the Greenlanders began to 

 take off their shoes and examine their little thin feet — a serious 

 indication, as we soon perceived. Isak presently informed us, in 

 broken Danish, that he and his companion now considered it time to 

 return. All attempts to persuade them to accompany us a little 

 further failed ; and we had therefore no other alternative than to let 

 them return, and continue our excursion without them. 



We took up our night- quarters here. The provisions were 

 divided. The Greenlanders, considering they might perhaps not be 

 able to find our first depot, were allowed to take as much as was 

 necessary to enable them to reach the tent. We took out cold 

 provisions for five days. The remainder, together with the excellent 

 photogen portable kitchen, which we had hitherto carried with us, 

 were laid up in a depot in the neighbourhood, on which a piece of 

 tarpaulin was stretched upon sticks, that we might be able to find 

 the place on our return ; which however we did not succeed in doing, 

 though we must have passed in its immediate vicinity. 



After these preparations for a parting. Dr. Berggren and I pro- 

 ceeded alone further inward. The Greenlanders turned back. 



At first we passed one of the before-mentioned extensive bowl- 

 formed excavations in the ice-plain, which is here furrowed by 

 innumerable rivers, which often obliged us to make long circuits ; 

 and when to avoid this, we endeavcmred to make our way along the 

 margin of the valleys, we came, instead, upon a tract where the 

 ice-plain was cloven by long, deep, parallel clefts running true 

 N.N.E. — S.S.W., quite as difficult to get over as the rivers, but far 

 more dangerous. Our progress was accordingly but slow. At 

 twelve o'clock on the 22nd we halted, in glorious, warm, sunny 

 weather, to make a geographical determination. We were now at a 

 height of 2000 feet, in latitude 68° 22^ and in a longitude of 56' 

 of arc east of the position of our tent at the fjord. 



During the whole of our excursion on tlie ice we had seen no 

 other animals than a couple of ravens, which on the morning of the 

 22nd, at the moment of our separation, flew over our heads. At 

 first, however, there appeared in many places on the ice remnants of 



