Climate and Vegetation : 7c 
new leaf buds of plants were noticed. On the windswept, gravelly beach, large 
patches were free of snow, in places where only a thin snow-layer remained 
during the winter. 
The weather the three next days was sunny, with faint wind, and warmer. 
These few days of fine, warmer weather made more difference in the appearance 
of the coastal tundra than most of the previous days. Not only was the effect 
of the sun plainly to be seen on the mountain slopes, which appeared much 
darker on account of snow-free patches, but the beach also became almost bare, 
and the tundra-plain too, although to a less extent. The latter began to show 
its topographical features in detail, and broad patches of snow were only found 
in low places, while large areas on higher places had no snow at all, or only a 
few dirty and porous fragments here and there in the minor depressions. The 
snow-free tundra patches had a distinctly dark-brown colour, owing to the 
protruding, dead plant parts, but only a few plants, for instance Cerastium 
alpinum, in especially warm places, showed any new, green leaf buds. By digging 
in the ground and examining the snow-free plants I found the surface of the 
ground to be thawed out, but half an inch down it was frozen. A thermometer 
stuck in the dead leaves above the ground showed 32-5°F. in the afternoon, a 
few degrees above the air temperature. 
On the 7th of May most of both the smaller and the larger elevations on the 
tundra were free of snow. But there was still snow lying in the creeks and low 
places, and also on the larger lake-ponds and coastal lagoons, where none of the 
ice had yet melted. 
The warm, sunny weather the next week melted a considerable amount of 
the snow on the tundra, and the mountains behind also looked much more bare.! 
But so much snow came down on May 8-9, that in general appearance it was 
more wintry than during the first week of the month. On May 17th some of 
the ponds were quite free of snow-ice, others only partly, and many of the tundra 
plants were showing fresh leaves, stems, and buds. 
At the end of May the coastal tundra at Collinson point was almost impas- 
sable, having so much soft or melting snow. Here and there were greater, 
snow-free patches, but the vegetation and insect life, taken as a whole, did not 
show much sign of spring yet. Even on the last day of May the tundra still 
looked rather wintry, and though the ponds on it mostly were melted, they had ice 
at the bottom for long stretches or were partly covered with ice, the latter 
reaching down to the bottom. 
The Canadian Arctic expedition records for June, taken at Collinson point, 
show the air temperatures ranging from 26°F. to above 70°F. Only on two 
days, June 25 and 26, did it reach above 60°F., while on twelve days the minimum 
temperature was below the freezing point. 
On June 1, the larger parts of the tundra were free of snow, especially nearest 
the coast; the overflow from the melted snow-water was assembling in temporary 
ponds and streams, while patches of snow were lying on the higher parts of the 
tundra.2 The hilly upland behind had larger patches of snow only in the creeks 
and smaller depressions; but the mountains to the south had still more than 
half of their expanse snow-covered. Most of the dicotyledonous plants were 
developing new leaves, especially on the parts which during the winter had 
been covered by snow, for instance in Cassiope tetragona, or where they had 
temporarily been immersed in melt-water during the spring, for instance in 
Ranunculaceae. The grasses were showing only the dead leaves of the last 
year so far. 
How slowly the ground thaws out was shown by the Sphagnum patches 
here and there on the tundra. The upper two inches of the Sphagnum 
pillows were wet from melted snow and ice but below this they were a part of 
the completely frozen ground. The Sphagnum tops looked nevertheless fresh 
oT Se RTT Elton 
75178—2 
