18 H. G. SIMMONS. [SEC. ARCT. EXP. FRAM 
of higher plants. Neither does immigration by means of birds play any 
prominent part, and I think it is only to the circumstance that Castle 
and Devil’s Islands serve as rookeries, that they owe their comparatively 
large stock of plants which have been brought over as nest-building 
material. 
Had they been encircled by a less strong current, so that the sea 
might have been icebound for the greater part of the year the flora 
would probably have been somewhat different. There would have been no 
rookeries, the birds would not have contributed much to the immigration 
of plants, but, on the other hand, there would have been another means 
of migration — the wind-transport over the snow-covered ice in winter. 
I have more than once seen that plant fragments are whirled away for 
long distances over the hard-blown snow, and I do not doubt. that this 
means of transport plays a prominent part in the migration of arctic 
plants, many of which are ,,winter-standers*. 1 also think that the 
island of North Kent in part has to thank the fast-bound ice at its 
northern parts, for the relatively rich flora it possesses. The ice here 
forms a bridge which may facilitate immigration both from Ellesmere- 
land, N. Devon, and other islands to the west. However, the geological 
nature of the northern parts of the island also is different and more 
favorable than that in Castle and Devil’s Islands. 
Ill. North Kent. 
Separated from Ellesmereland by the Hell Gate, and from North 
Devon by Cardigan Strait, the island of North Kent extends between lat. 
76° 27’ and 51°, and long. 89° 45’ and 90° 35’. The northern part of 
it has been known since the time of Betcuer’s expedition. It was 
visited by Mr. Scuer in 1900, but he brought home neither notes nor 
collections. In 1901 I visited the northern part (July 13), and in 1902 
some points on the south coast. 
The southern part of the island is built up of Silurian limestone of 
the better, less siliciferous kind; further north, comes the same series of 
limestones and sandstones as in Goose Fjord. Loose deposits are present 
to a large extent, forming a far better soil than that in the last-mentioned 
small islands. The coast of N. Kent is, for the greater part, formed of 
high, more or less abrupt cliffs rising to a height of perhaps 1000 feet. 
In some places, there is a narrow, low beach below and a few valleys 
trending inland, but rising rather precipitously towards the undulating, 
