92 DISTRIBUTION OF BRITISH PLANTS 



perature at the northern extremity, beyond lat. 80°, during 

 the three summer months spent there by Sir Edward 

 Parry, was found to be 34£. It is probable that the 

 winter temperature must be far below zero of Fahrenheit's 

 scale ; but of this we have no certain information. What- 

 ever may be the temperature of the air, vegetation is 

 doubtless greatly protected from it by the deep covering 

 of snow. About 20 of our herbaceous species have been 

 found here. 



Melville Island, five degrees more southward, but more 

 completely surrounded by the accumulated masses of 

 polar ice, has a mean temperature about zero ; that of 

 winter being — 28°, and of summer + 37° ; but the 

 mean of July rises to 42°. Several of our herbaceous 

 species occur here, and about half a dozen which have 

 not been found in Spitzbergen. But none of our indi- 

 genous shrubs appear to exist on the island, although 

 Salix arctica (a near ally of S. herbacea) was brought 

 hence by Sir Edward Parry. 



Port Bowen, visited during Sir Edward Parry's Third 

 Northern Voyage of Discovery, is situate a little to the 

 S. W. of Melville Island, but is probably not much supe- 

 rior in climate. We here add a second little shrub per- 

 taining to the British flora, — Salix reticulata. 



On the east coast of Greenland, in latitude 72° — 76°, 

 there appears to be a better vegetation than was met with 

 on Melville Island and the shores of Regent Inlet (73° — 

 75°). In the collection of plants made by Captain Sabine, 

 and described by Professor Hooker (Linn. Trans, xiv.), 

 we find about thirty of our indigenous species, amongst 

 vhich occurs another shrub, — Vaccinium uliginosum. 



On Whale Fish Islands, in latitude 69°, during Parry's 

 Third Voyage, were gathered the three shrubs above 

 mentioned, and also Empetrum nigrum and Azalea pro- 

 cumbens. 



