374 



sunny side and lee-side of the sand (these terms being identical 

 here). That no vigorous main trunk is found, as generally with 

 the espaliers, is probably due to the travelling of the sand. 



The sand-drift surely takes place principally during the sum- 

 mer halfyear, as the sand the other time must be frozen and 

 covered by snow and snow-crust; were the contrary the case one 

 would be sure to see also traces of sand-wear upon the older, 2 — 3 

 years old shoots; but such are not seen. On the other hand the 

 young 1 — 2 year old shoots forming the windward side of the 

 bush are, as a rule, eroded and either killed or dying, and the 

 destruction is slowly advancing towards the leeside, while at 

 the same time its shoots are being covered by sand. Some- 

 times the wind gets the upper hand, and the bush is totally 

 killed, and the sandhillock is demolished; the remnants of it 

 are then seen as an irregular, one metre high cone, loosely 

 covered by free-hanging branches and roots of willows and 

 showing the above mentioned stratification. 



Between the Salix-tuhs are also seen the peculiar sand- 

 formations which we named "coffins" (cpr. p. 399 and fig. 24). 

 They are longish, narrow elevations with steep sides, which have 

 here the direction E — W, i. e. from Nathorst Fjæld towards Hurry 

 Inlet, and are here covered whith Festuca rubra v. arenaria, 

 Carex incurva and Poa pratensis. 



Festuca, which is the most frequent one, has horizontally 

 creeping rhizomes and 1 5 — 20 cm high single straws, which 

 at the ground are encircled by old straws and sheaths. Viewed 

 from a distance it forms a rather dense, undulating covering. 

 Poa pratensis is found much less frequently, but has a similar 

 growth, still its lateral shoots are not so long as those of the 

 former. Carex incurva forms here little tufts of abt. 10 cm 

 height with closely placed leaves and straws encircled by rem- 

 nants of old leaves; it can, however, also form a very open, 

 abt. 5 cm high cover. It sticks more firmly to the sand than 

 Festuca, and can endure considerably more erosion; it is there- 



