COL. FEILDEN' AND MR. GELDART ON THE FLORA OF KOLGUEV. 173 
until at the mouth of the Gobista they are not more than forty feet 
above sea-level ; and this dip continues in the same direction, for at 
the mouth of the Kriva river the land almost merges with the sea, 
the coast-line being only a few feet above the sea-level. 
The aspect of the interior of the island is not more inviting, the 
brown, sad-looking tundra, patched here and there with snow and 
dotted over with shallow meres and lakes, stretches a dreary flat, 
mile upon mile, embracing the south end, or about one-third of the 
area of the island. The northern part of the island is more 
elevated ; and from the west coast the land is to be seen rising 
to the north and north-east, and culminating in rounded hills, which 
reach an altitude of 200 to 250 feet. An interesting description of 
this elevated part of the island is given by Mr. Trevor Battye.* 
Walking over the tundra in Kolguev is weary work. When 
the sun comes out, and there is a delinite rise in the temperature, 
the traveller is assailed by myriads of mosquitoes. The constant 
stepping from one Lichen-covered peat-mound to the next, in order 
to clear the spagn M?»-covered swamps, is exhausting. There is no 
change in the view; the horizon, bounded by the level tundra, is 
always the same. The flora is uninteresting. One gets tired of 
seeing the swamps covered with the white blossoms of the Cloud- 
berry with flu fly headed Nardosmia frigida interspersed. Now and 
again one passes a red or yellow Louse-wort ( Pedicularis ), and, 
looking more closely, Stxifraga stellar is is to be seen. Frequently 
one stumbles through a growth of downy Willow ( Salix lanata) 
not higher than the knee, from which, at times, a Willow Grouse 
rises, wild as any hawk. The flora of the tundra proper is not 
rich in species nor in colouring. The typical plants are : 
Rubus chamcemmus 
Em pet rum nigrum 
Salix lanata 
Betula nana 
Nardosmia frigida 
Sedum rliodiola 
Po 1 icuia vis h irsuta 
„ lapponica 
Saxifraga stellar is 
Polem on in m pul cl i ell u m 
* ‘ Ice-bouud on Kolguev.’ 
