815 
Voyage to Davis ’ 1 Straits. 
of the islands, we resolved to proceed to the shore to collect as 
many eggs as we could find. A boat being accordingly got ready, 
we rowed towards one of the islands. On a near approach, we 
could see numerous flocks of ducks flying about in different di- 
rections. They were all of that species of duck named Eider 
Duck ( Anas mollissima). The spot on which we landed was 
nearly level ; and, being wet and spongy, was completely over- 
run with moss, to the exclusion of almost every other vegetable. 
The various species of Hypnum and Polytrichum were the 
most abundant, but none of them were in fructification. On 
an eminence on the west side of the island, I observed several 
plants, two of which only were in flower, viz. a Potentilla , with 
ternate leaves, hairy on both sides ; calyx, with ten nearly equal 
segments ; and a flower of the size and colour of our Potentilla 
verna . The other was a species of Salix. Besides these, there 
were Andromeda tttragona , Cerastium latifolium , Silene acau- 
Us , Stellaria humifusa , Papaver nudicaule , a Festuca , probably 
F. vivipara , Salix lierbacea , and a Car ex , perhaps C. rigida. 
These, with two or three others, (whose names I could not as- 
certain), I collected for the Edinburgh Botanic Garden. The 
more common species of Lichens were Cetraria islandica , and 
nivalis , and various .species of Gyropliera encrusting the rocks. 
Of the minerals, the island affords but two species : the one 
which forms the top is of a more crystallised appearance ; the 
other, a greyish coloured rock, descends in oblique strata to the 
shore. 
Among the tufts of carex and other herbage, and generally 
in a sheltered situation, a few nests were observed. They all 
belonged to the Eider Duck, and were copiously lined with the 
down of that bird. Few eggs were found in them, they having 
been already robbed by the crews of some of the other ships. 
In a precipice by the sea-shore were several nests of black guil- 
lemots ( Colymbus grylle). This bird nestles in holes deep in 
the rock, and lays but a single egg, large for the size of the 
bird, of a greyish colour, with dark brown spots. The glau- 
cous gull ( Lams glaucus) may perhaps breed here, at least a 
pair or two were seen flying about the island. 
Upon the whole, the productions of the island are but few and 
scanty, when compared with those of the land three or four de- 
