170 COL. FEILDEN AND MR. GELDART ON THE FLORA OF KOLGUEV. 
on Kolguev,’ * to whicli we shall frequently have to refer in this 
paper, especially to his excellent appendix on the Botany of the 
island. He tells us, “ that the Russians have a great dread of being 
compelled to pass the winter on Kolguev. They told him that 
only one Russian to their knowledge had ever done so. He described 
the winter as terribly severe ; and the Samoyeds all agreed in saying 
that it was far worse than on the mainland.” Mr. Trevor-Battye 
gives the following as the result of his meteorological observations : 
“ The average shade temperatures for the twenty-four hours during 
June were, max. 40° F., min. 33’ F., the thermometer twice falling 
to 31° F., and twice rising to 50° F. On June 24th it registered 
in the sun at mid-day 62° F. The average for July was decidedly 
higher, though more than once it fell to freezing-point. On 
August 28th, my thermometer was broken during a gale, but up to 
that date it varied from 42° F. at noon to 7G C F. This, the highest 
reading, was on August 16th, and on that day it was 86° F. in the 
sun. The thermometer never fell below 42° F. during August up 
to the 28th. After this the weather got rapidly colder, and by 
September 1 6th, the ground was covered with snow, and the lakes 
were beginning to freeze. Kolguev is exceedingly subject to fogs 
and gales of great duration. The prevailing wind is northerly, 
either N., N.E., or N.W.” f 
The experiences of Mr. Pearson’s party were quite as unfavourable. 
July 5th, the day on which they landed near the mouth of the 
Gobista river, was warm and oppressive, with heavy rain showers ; 
the wind from the south and south-west, and accompanied by 
thunder and lightning. The next day the wind shifted to the north 
and north-west, with fog, and intermittent snow showers, remaining 
bitterly cold till the 16th July, when the party left the island. 
During the whole of their stay, the temperature seldom rose 
above 35° F., whilst at times it fell to 32° F. Several experiments 
were made by Feilden to test the heat of the earth at the root 
of plants in flower. At a depth of hve to six inches below the 
surface, it was found that the temperature varied but little. Several 
readings of the thermometer taken on different days, worked out 
to 40' F., the observations on no occasion showing a difference of 
more than one degree. Though these observations on earth 
* ‘Ice-bound on Kolguev’ (London, 1895). 
f Trevor-Battye, op. ail. pp. 4 15 — 46. 
