1876.] 



Biology of the 'Valorous' Cruise, 1875. 



181 



by Deshayes ; Pabricius mistook it for the Turho littoreus of Linnc. It 

 is the " Grronlandische Mondschnecken " of Chemnitz. During our stay 

 at Grodhavn we dredged now and then in one of the ship's cutters at 

 depths of from one to eighty fathoms. The results were to me very 

 interesting ; for opportunities were thus afforded me of observing in 

 their native habitat the same arctic MoUusca which I had long studied 

 at home in our posttertiary and glacial deposits. Cardium Islandiciim, 

 C. Grcenlandicum, and Tellina calcaria were the most common species at 

 Godhavn and occurred at all depths. On the land I found Vitrina 

 jpellucida of Miiller ( V. angelicce, Beck), not at the roots of Archangelica 

 offichudis, but among moss and various water plants at the sides of 

 small streams formed by the melting of ice. The pursuit of this branch 

 of science \^\as very disagreeable, by reason of the swarms of stinging 

 gnats or mosquitoes which infested the low grounds. The weather was 

 rainy and foggy, with occasional sunshine ; the land was treeless and had 

 a gloomy aspect. On the 13th of the thermometer showed 78° in the 

 sun ; one day at Eitenbenk Kulbrud it was 81° in the midst of icebergs. 



7. No time was lost at Godhavn in transferring the stores of coal 

 and provisions to the Ai'ctic ships ; and we had also to give them some 

 of our boats to replace those which had been lost in the gales on the out- 

 ward voyage. All the ships left northward on the loth of July ; and 

 after touching at the Danish settlement of Eitenbenk in "Waigat Strait, 

 we reached the Kulbrud, where we had to procure by digging a supply of 

 coal, being a kind of lignite, from the Miocene strata Avhich composed 

 the cliffs. By dint of hard and contiuuous work 105 tons of this 

 coal were got in the course of four days. "W^e had a little boat-dredging 

 in from 15 to 25 fathoms near the cliffs, among melting icebergs and 

 the mud brought dowii by glacier-streams. There was no diminution of 

 life. The Arctic ships here left us for their destination, and parting 

 signals were exchanged. Mr. Clements Markham (who went out in the 

 'Alert' with his cousin. Commander Markham) came on board the 

 * Yalorous' and made the return voyage mth us. He was an agreeable 

 accession to our small party in the Captain's cabin. Our position was at 

 this time critical, in consequence of the narrowness of the Strait and the 

 passage of numerous large icebergs. Some of these had been aground ; 

 but as they melted and became lighter they floated and whirled about the 

 ship so as to endanger the paddles. We left at midnight on the 21st, 

 and resumed our voyage northward, so as to get out of the Strait at the 

 upper end of Disco Island. 



8. On leaving the Strait we got our first dredging from the ship in 

 lat. 70° 30' N., long. 54° 41' W., at a depth of 175 fathoms. The tangles 

 or swabs brought up several beautiful specimens of Asteroi?liyton eucnemis 

 (Asterias caput- Medusce of Fabricius), besides other starfishes ; and the 

 dredge had a goodly cargo of mud. The dredge weighed 78 lbs. When 

 it was lowered a small guide-rope with a running noose or " guy " was 



