10 H. G. SIMMONS. [SEC. ARCT. EXP. FRAM 
II. Castle Island and Devil’s Isle. 
1. Castle Island. 
For the little island lying off Cape Vera in about lat. 76°10’ and 
long. 89° 20’ I use this name which, after conferring with Captain 
Sverprup, I had already used in my Prel. Rep.1 instead of the name 
“St. Helena” which we had jestingly given it, without any thought of 
retaining it later. The name used above is rather appropriate on account 
of the ruin-like forms which the withered limestone cliffs of the islet 
have assumed. 
The island was first visited by a party in 1901, and Mr. Scuer 
made some collections and notes there, July 21. In 1902 I myself had 
an opportunity of visiting it; and as we were obliged to stay there from 
July 9 to 14, I had leisure for a very thorough examination of its flora. 
Castle Island is entirely built up of Silurian limestone of the same 
hard, siliciferous kind as that which forms the adjacent part of N. Devon 
and also the outer coast of S. W. Ellesmereland. The highest part of 
the island rises about 200 feet, sloping to the east, and surrounded by 
low cliffs, some of very curious shapes, sbowing that the lower parts of 
the island have emerged rather recently from the sea. Terraces of 
limestone débris, also formed below the sea-level, surround some parts 
of the rocks; in some places there is a talus of débris fallen down from 
the highest part; and lastly there are some small patches of clay. Now 
this is indeed a very poor soil, and would allow the existence of only 
a very few plants had not numerous birds chosen the little islet for 
their breeding place. On several of the higher rocks were nests of the 
large gulls, Larus glaucus and L. argentatus, the black guillemot nested 
everywhere in the cracks of the rocks, there was a colony of terns in 
the low gravel plain, and lastly numerous eiderducks bred everywhere 
around the base of the cliffs. The reason why so many birds seek 
refuge here is, as may easily be discovered, that the strong current of 
1 An explanation of the abridged titles is to be found in my Ellesmereland Flora. 
