266 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



of them, and the deep, loose banks thus formed 

 afforded a special locality for plants. The rest 

 of the ground was mostly bog of varying degrees of 

 humidity. Climbing the low hills beyond the raised 

 beaches provided no escape from the endless 

 morass, as the bogs formed on the flat table- 

 land above were at least as wet as those in the 

 valleys. 



During the stay of the " Norse King" at Vads6, 

 from the 2nd to the gth of August, I made an excur- 

 sion with a friend to the southern shore of the fiord, 

 where we stayed for two days at a small settlement 

 called Elvenes, on a long narrow inlet from the 

 South Varanger. The Pasvik River, which drains 

 the large lake Enara, and is an excellent salmon 

 stream, ran into the fiord just below the little hotel 

 at which we stayed, which was close to the 

 Russian boundary. The scenery on this side was 

 quite different from that at Vadso, and the South 

 Varanger Fiord, with a chain of low mountains on 

 either side from which long promontories projected 

 into the water so as apparently to enclose it as a 

 lake, was much finer than anything to be seen on 

 the north of the Varanger. This quiet scenery was 

 especially beautiful at night, when the ruddy glow 

 of sunset slowly swept round the northern horizon 

 with scarce diminished splendour until it flamed 

 into daybreak, lighting up, as it passed, the dark 

 waters of the fiord with ever-changing streaks of fire, 

 and causing the wet glistening rocks on the mountain 

 side to glow like dying embers. One could, indeed, 

 appreciate the force of Wordsworth's simile, "As 

 lovely as a Lapland night." The vegetation too was 

 far more luxuriant. The path from the landing- 

 stage was bordered with large tufts of the handsome 

 pink (Dianthiis superbus), and led through a wood 

 with birches from thirty to forty feet high, and a 

 few scattered pines and alders. The stony 

 torrent beds in the wood were frequently covered 

 with a luxuriant growth of the rose-bay and tufted- 

 vetch, so that it was at times difficult to realize 

 how far north we really were. The wood was 

 especially appreciated after Vadso, where the 

 scrubby birches and willows which maintained 

 an existence there were seldom as much as five 

 feet high. 



On the return journey we called at Hammerfest, 

 where the Tyven (1,240 feet), a mountain rising 

 close behind the town, proved rather rich botani- 

 cally ; and also at Tromso, where, as the ship ran 

 aground, there was rather more time for obser- 

 vation. Tromso is quite a cheerful looking place 

 for its latitude, and the huge plants of Heracleiim 

 giganteum, which was very common in the gardens, 

 gave them quite a luxuriant appearance. In one 

 part of the town a large number of the leaves of 

 this bold plant were being dried, but for what 

 purpose I could not ascertain. 



Besides these places in Arctic Norway we also 



called at several places farther south ; but as most 

 of the time was consumed in sight-seeing, there 

 was not much opportunity for botanical work, and 

 in the following list I have only noticed a few 

 mosses from the southern localities, as but little 

 was done among the higher plants. I was, however, 

 rather pleased at finding the local fern Struthiopteris 

 germanica in some abundance at Stalheim. 



Upwards of 160 species of flowering plants and 

 ferns were gathered or noticed in the Arctic parts 

 of Norway, of which the following were among the 

 most interesting : 



Thalictnmi alpinum, L. — Not uncommon in a bog 

 at Elvenes, growing on Sphagnum. 



Ranunculus hyperhonus. — This curious little species 

 occurred in several places near Vadso, and by the 

 shore of the Pasvik river at Elvenes, creeping on 

 wet mud. 



Trollius europoeus, L. — Over at Vadso, where it 

 was common in seed. Some perfect flowers were, 

 however, gathered on high ground at Tromso on 

 August 1 2th. 



Arabis petrcea, Lam. — On the raised beaches to 

 the west of Vadso. 



Subularia aquatica, L. — Growing with Ranunculus 

 hyperboreus by the shore of the Pasvik river at 

 Elvenes. 



Dianthiis superhus, L. — Occurred at Vadso, below 

 a rocky ledge to the west of the town. It was, 

 however, far commoner on the southern shore of 

 the fiord. 



Silene acaulis, L. — Large cushions of this little 

 Alpine plant were common on the Tyven at 

 Hammerfest. 



Cerastium alpinum, L. — A very hairy form of this 

 plant occurred on the island at Vadso from which 

 the observations on the eclipse were to have been 

 made. 



Oxytropis lapponica. — Raised beaches near Vadso. 



Dryas ociopetala, L. — Only noticed on the Tyven, 

 at Hammerfest, where a few specimens were in 

 flower as late as August nth. 



Rubles chaiHizmorus, L. — Common everywhere in 

 the north, but especially so at Elvenes, where the 

 little hillocks which it forms in the bogs were 

 quite bright with its handsome orange fruit. 



Sibbaldia procumbens, L. — Common at Vadso. 

 Saxifraga oppositifolia, L. — Mountains above Bodo. 

 The flowers were over. S. aizoides, L. — Swampy 

 places by rivulets at Bodo, Vadso and elsewhere. 

 S. nivalis, L. — Bogs near Vadso. S. sUllaris, L. — 

 Very abundant in bogs near Vadso, where most of 

 the specimens were covered with viviparous buds 

 in lieu of flowers. I was for some time at a loss to 

 know what this strange -looking plant could be, but 

 after some search a few perfect flowers were found 

 mixed with the viviparous buds on a few specimens. 

 This form, the var. comosa, is also recorded from 

 Spitzbergen. 



