152 
SURVIVAL ON LAND AND SEA 
are white, about % of an inch iu diameter. The berries are 
about the size of raspberries, very juicy with a pleasant taste. 
When immature they are red, changing to yellow as they ripen 
in July or August. The mountain cranberry (Fig. 53) is a low, 
creeping evergreen shrub from 2 to 8 inches high. It has small, 
shiny, dark green leaves and clusters of white or pink bell- 
shaped flowers. The berries are dark red, about % to % 
inch in diameter. They ripen in August and September, but 
remain on the bush all winter and can be gathered the next 
spring when they taste even better than in the fall. The plant 
is widely distributed in the Arctic but usually does not bear 
fruit north of the tree line. It is found in greatest abundance 
in open birch and willow thickets. When stewed and sweet- 
ened the mountain cranberry is even better than the' southern 
variety. 
The black crowberry (Fig. 54) is a low evergreen plant with 
spreading branches and small narrow leaves resembling those 
of a fir or spruce. The flowers are inconspicuous. The small, 
black shiny berries are sweet and juicy. The crowberry is 
found in many parts of the Arctic, growing best in sandy or 
rocky soil, especially along the seacoasts. The Eskimos are 
very fond of the berries a.nd collect them from under the snow, 
since they remain on the bush through the winter. 
Two varieties of bilberry, closely resembling our blueberry, 
grow in abundance on the mossy hillsides and tundra. They 
produce delicious bluish-black berries. Somewhat resembling 
the bilberries are the Alpine and red bearberry, low plants with 
small red or black berries. They are rather mealy, and taste 
better stewed. 
