22¢ Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1913-18 
by some of the factors mentioned in the preceding paragraph. This view is 
strengthened by my observations on the sand and gravel islands described 
above, and by the collections of plants formerly made along the coast. 
The material forming the beach zone is composed of gravel and sand; the 
former mainly in shape of bars or spits barely above sea_ level, 
going over into the floor of the ocean; the latter either taking part in the for- 
mation of the bars and spits, or here and there forming dunes of loose sand 
which gradually merge into the tundra on the one side and the gravel beach on 
the other. Where the sand dunes are best developed, for instance at Kong- 
anevik, they strongly remind one of certain parts of the west coast of Jutland in 
Denmark, both as to topography and vegetation. Most of the sand dune plants 
of the arctic coast have the characteristics described by Warming and others 
for the sand dune plants of the west coast of Jutland, viz.: unusual development 
of the rhizoms, and roots and sand-covered parts of the stems running far out 
in all directions so that the individual plants occupy much more space than 
when growing on the tundra. The species inhabiting the dunes, such as Elymus, 
Epilobium, Halianthus, etc., also grow in extensive colonies, to the exclusion of 
other species, and cover the ground more perfectly than they do on the more 
barren gravel. 
The typical and dominating beach plants are: Carex stans, Elymus mollis, 
Alopecurus alpinus, Arctagrostis latifolia, Salix ovalifolia var. camdensis, Stel- 
laria longipes, Cerastium alpinum, Halianthus peploides, Cochlearia groenlandica, 
Epilobium latifolium, Polemonitum boreale, Mertensia maritima (not found at 
Konganevik), Artemisia comata. 
Concerning the vegetation on the extensive flats at the mouths of the 
larger rivers it would appear, from observations made so far, that on the islands 
in the river deltas a varying number of non-beach plants spread out from up 
river and, owing to the quality of the soil, attain a luxurious growth and great 
expansion. This is especially the case with the willows. From a vegetation 
point of view the river deltas therefore belong more properly to the tundra, or 
even to the inland region, excepting a narrow strip facing the ocean.! 
The transition zone. The transition zone between the beach and the tundra 
is very hard to define, both as to topography and to vegetation. It has already 
been mentioned, and commented upon by all travellers, how very gradual is the 
rise of the land from the coast inland, and how insignificant the total elevation 
along the greater part of the coast. This is especially the case where the beach 
is formed by sand and gravel. It applies, to a less extent, to places where the 
tundra plain itself is washed by the sea, and still less, of course, to the very few 
places where the hills come within about a mile of the sea. It is only the very 
gradual transition zone between the sandy and gravelly beach and the tundra 
which shows anything interesting in respect to the vegetation; the tundra bluffs 
facing the ocean have of course neither the beach nor the transition zone vege- 
tation. The transition zone often represents old beach lines, often with partly 
overgrown driftwood scattered around.’ 
The gravel and sand beach gradually goes over into swamp or a little higher 
and drier tundra, except where large lakes and water courses intervene. Where 
there are sand dunes, their inner parts have become so much overgrown that 
they form a part of the coastal tundra, presenting an undulating zone of hum- 
mocks and depressions in front of the often lower, flat tundra; or they have 
grown together with the tundra bluffs or ridges where these come near the 
coast. 
In the transition zone the vegetation is intermediate in character between 
the vegetation of the beach and that of the tundra proper. The extent to 
which the vegetation covers the ground is also intermediate between the dense 
erowth of the tundra and the sparser growth of the beach. 
1 Cf. plants collected by Schrader and Peters, l.c. pp. 130-34, in the summer of 1901, . 
2 See Plate V, fig. 2, in Vol. III, Pt. K, of these reports. 
