3 
The northeast part of Baffin island is a plateau formed of flat-lying 
Palaeozoic shale and limestone. In the north the land rises abruptly from 
the sea in cliffs 1,000 feet high. Along the west coast, along Prince Regent 
inlet, the plateau declines in altitude southward and finally merges into 
the low area of Precambrian granitic rocks bordering Fury and Hecla 
strait and the north shore of Foxe basin. The Palaeozoic strata border 
Admiralty inlet and extend east to Navy Board inlet. The south shore 
of Eclipse sound is the edge of a rolling plain of coal-bearing Tertiary 
strata that extend inland to the abruptly rising edge of the Precambrian 
area of Cockburn land. 
An ice cap of unknown extent covers Penny highland, northwest of 
Cumberland sound. A few small glaciers are said to reach the coast north 
of Cumberland sound, but attain their greatest development along Navy 
Board inlet in the north. Several isolated ice caps are said by Eskimo to 
exist inland from the northeast coast. Another is reported from Saumia 
highlands south of Cumberland sound. The Grinned glacier occupies the 
southeast extremity of Baffin island and discharges along a small front 
into Frobisher bay. 
Narrative 
On behalf of the National Museum of Canada, the writer accompanied 
the Canadian Arctic Expedition of 1923 in the C. G. S. Arctic which sailed 
from Quebec, July 9. Baffin island was touched on August 19, at Strath- 
eona sound, Admiralty inlet. After a stay of twelve hours, the Arctic 
sailed via Navy Board inlet to Ponds inlet and remained there from August 
21 to September 3. Pangnirtung fiord, Cumberland sound, the next 
place called at, was reached on September 11. Twelve days were spent 
there, the ship setting sail for Quebec on September 22. 
The 1923 trip was a reconnaissance affording few opportunities for 
the collecting of biological or other specimens. The information acquired 
indicated the desirability of work being done in the eastern part of the 
Arctic archipelago and on Baffin island in particular. Plans were com- 
pleted by the Museum during the winter of 1923-24 for the writer to return 
to Baffin island for one or more years for the purpose of collecting biological 
material and making geographical explorations of districts that might be 
reached. 
In 1924, the writer sailed on the C. G. S. Arctic which left Quebec on 
July 5. Pangnirtung fiord, Cumberland sound, which had been selected 
as a base, was reached on July 22. There supplies and equipment were 
put ashore. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police provided accommoda- 
tion at their Pangnirtung post which became home, at intervals, until 
April, 1926. 
Pangnirtung fiord is on the northeast side of Cumberland sound. It 
is 28 miles long and averages 1| miles in width. The lower part of the 
fiord runs northeast, the upper part runs north. The tide rises 18 to 22 
feet. The country in the vicinity of the fiord is mountainous. For the 
first 10 miles up the fiord, the mountains average 2,000 feet in height. 
Higher up the fiord and continuing inland beyond its head, loftier sections 
rise to between 3,000 and 5,000 feet. 
The lower elevations are rounded and undulatory, with numerous 
signs of glaciation. Small, clear lakes and streams abound. The higher 
mountains are jagged and irregular of outline and in many places rise 
