BROAVN ON NOURSOAK PENINSULA, feC. 471 



*^ Pecopteris. The whole of the nervation has disappeared, so 

 " that I think it would be somewhat hazardous to describe it as a 

 " new species simply on the two specimens in your possession." 



4. Cretaceous. — This formation in Greenland has only been 

 recently separated from the Miocene formation, with which it is 

 associated. It is, as far as we yet know, only found in the vicinity 

 of Kome or Koke, on the Omenak Fjord, in about 70° N. lat., 

 though traces have been found on Disco and elsewhere. 



5. Miocene. — This formation (included by Eink* in his " Trap- 

 formation med kulforende Lag "), in West Greenland, is confined 

 to the vicinity of the Waigat Strait and the west coast of Disco 

 Bay, and is the chief subject of this paper. 



6. Qtiatefimary Deposits. — These consist of peats at present in 

 process of slow formation, and of beds of clay, with scattered 

 boulders, shells, and other marine remains, the exact counterpart 

 of the laminated fossiliferous, brick-clays in Scotland. These are 

 described by the author in the " Quarterly Journal of the Geo- 

 logical Society of London " (February 1871), and in ''Das Innere 

 der Gronland," Petermann's " Geog. Mittheil.," 1871. 



HI. — The Miocene Beds of Greenland (p. 13). 



The existence of fossil plants of relatively recent date in strata 

 on the shores of the Waigat Strait was known to Giesecke ; but 

 he was unaware of their exact age and significance — supposing 

 them to be identical with, or nearly allied to, the ordinary Sorbus 

 aucuparia v^ndi Angelica officinalis, now growing on Disco Island.| 

 It was not until MM. Olrik and Rink had sent some of the speci- 

 mens to Europe that their nature was apprehended. Subsequently 

 through the exertions of Captain (now Admiral) Inglefield, R.N., 

 Dr. Lyall, R.N., ^d Dr. David Walkerjof the " Fox " Expedition 

 — aided by M. Olrik, several specimens reached England, and 

 these with those already in the Copenhagen Museum were, with 

 the other Arctic plants, described in Professor Heer's very im- 

 portant work, " Flora fossilis arctica " (1867). A general resume of 

 his results was given by him in the " Journal of the Royal Dublin 

 Society," vol. v. pp. 69, &c., for 1867. 



After explaining the circumstances of his visit to Noursoak, in 

 company with Mr. E. Whymper, Mr. A. P. Tegncr, two other 

 Danes, and several natives, in 1867, Dr. R. Brown proceeds to give 

 notes from his journals. 



1. Atanakerdhik, Lat. 70° 2' 30" N., Long. 52° 15' ^" W.— 

 The rock seen on the shores of the mainland when coasting from 

 Jakobshavn (Ilulissat) to this locality is the gneiss, sometimes 

 rising into hills 1 ,400 feet in height, but generally in low rounded 

 hills, with mossy valleys ; the hills covered with boulders, and 

 smoothed by ice-action. The rocks are bare, except where coated 

 with a mossy covering of Lichens, while here and there, on 



* " Gronland," vol. ii., App., p. 139. See further on, p. 497. 

 t See *' Florula Discoana," above, p. 256. 



