The Birds of Angmagsalik. 209 
in a stately number of volumes of Meddelelser om Grønland. A 
complete survey of bird-life will form a natural connection to the other 
works, and I have therefore attempted, with the approval of Johan 
Petersen, to give a description of the bird-life at Angmagsalik, drawn 
up on the basis of his notes. 
The east coast of Greenland, from Cape Farewell in lat. 59/, №. 
up to the north point in lat. 881/5° N. has now been explored, as al- 
ready stated; it is a stretch of about 233/, parallels of latitude, 
356 geographical miles, about as far as from Copenhagen to Tripoli. 
For years expeditions have stayed — voluntarily or of necessity — 
on the east coast, but only that one little spot at Angmagsalık 
‚has been constantly populated. The character of this long stretch of 
coast is of course not the same everywhere. The most southern portion 
has conditions very nearly the same as the southern part of the west 
coast, with deep fjords. Then comes a long stretch, from about 63° 
to 70°, where the direction is to the north-east, where the coast is only 
slightly indented and the protecting belt of islands is lacking, whilst 
the inland ice goes out close to the sea and the open coast-land often 
consists of steep and wild rock-work. Animal-life and vegetation are 
scarce here; only on one spot on this coast, in lat. 66° N., are there 
deep fjords, a protecting belt of islands and a richer vegetation. It is 
here that the Angmagsalik district lies like an oasis, as the botanist 
Kruuse calls it. Between 70° and 77° N. the country again assumes 
quite another character; there are deep fjords like Scoresby Sound 
and Frantz Joseph’s Fjord, many islands along the coast, and, inside 
these, great flat stretches of rather low, not ice-covered foreshore, with 
the most abundant animal and vegetable life on the whole of the coast. 
North of this stretch lies the most of that part of East Greenland travelled 
by the Denmark Expedition, where the country is again bleak and wild, 
with only very little animal life and vegetation. 
This northern part of the coast, from 70° northwards, is, however, 
only mentioned here incidentally; if one would understand the bird- 
life af Angmagsalik, it must constantly be borne in mind that much 
farther north there are large numbers of birds, which do not breed at 
Angmagsalik but regularly or more casually visit that district. 
If we keep to the most southern part of the east coast, south of 
Scoresby Sound, really only the part farthest south can be regarded 
as in any way having luxuriant vegetation. HoLM was in to the far end 
of Kangerdlugsuatsiak (Lindenow’s Fjord), in lat. 60° N., and writes of 
luxuriant places with angelica as high as a man, willow-herbs two feet 
high, impenetrable willow-coppices, and large stretches covered with 
bacciferous plants. The conditions change, however, only a little farther 
north; there are still fairly deep fjords, and mention is often made of 
LVIII. 14 
