304 
THE PETREL. 
specimens, I am unwilling to adopt the observations 
of Mr. Morton, who was no botanist. It seems clear, 
however, that many flowering plants, at least as de¬ 
veloped as those of Rensselaer Harbor, had already 
made themselves recognisable; and, strange to say, 
the only specimen brought back was a crucifer, (Hel¬ 
per is pijgmcea —Durand,) the siliquce of which, still 
containing seed, had thus survived the winter, to give 
evidence of its perfected growth. This plant I have 
traced to the Great Glacier, thus extending its range 
from the South Greenland zone. It has not, I believe, 
been described at Upernavik. (60) 
It is another remarkable fact that, as they continued 
their journey, the land-ice and snow, which had served 
as a sort of pathway for their dogs, crumbled and 
melted, and at last ceased altogether; so that, during 
the final stages of their progress, the sledge was ren¬ 
dered useless, and Morton found himself at last toil¬ 
ing over rocks and along the beach of a sea, which, 
like the familiar waters of the south, dashed in waves 
at his feet. 
Here for the first time he noticed the Arctic Petrel, 
(Procellaria glacialis,) a fact which shows the accuracy 
of his observation, though he was then unaware of its 
importance. This bird had not been met with since 
we left the North Water of the English whalers, more 
than two hundred miles south of the position on which 
he stood. Its food is essentially marine, the acalephoc, 
&c. &c.; and it is seldom seen in numbers, except in the 
highways of open water frequented by the whale and 
