eee, REPORT OF THE -e CANADIAN ARCTIC EXPEDITION 1913-18 VOLUME V: BOTANY PART C: GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE VEGETATION By FRITS JOHANSEN SOUTHERN PARTY—1913-16 OTTAWA i> a F. A. ACLAND Wipe PRINTER TO THE KING’S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY 1924 Issued October 7, 1924 ui i : } 1924 074 095 427 Report of the Canadian ‘Aretic Expedition, 1913- 18. VOLUME I: GENERAL INTRODUCTION, NAREATIVE, ETC. | Part A: NORTHERN PARTY, 1913-18...........cccc ccc ce eee eee ne eee gaint ds insite (To be: prepared ) Part: ‘B: SOUTHERN PARTY, 1913-16. _ By Rudolph Martin ‘Anderson... ere ween preparation) VOLUME Ui: MAMMALS AND BIRDS Part A: MAMMALS OF WESTERN ARCTIC AMERICA. ? 2 a SsSpste Sach Tn ays ns aes eda aw sda ea oh ua ane peveeececveceesces+. ln preparation). is ey cow nem rane eee SoS ta On se ee onan aero ala eaNe DR Na TE wees (In preparation). VOLUME UI: INSECTS ARODUCTION., By.C. Gordon Hewitt.............. ++ weawnee “(Casued ss 10, 1920).. ~ Part A: COLLEMBOLA. By Justus W. Folsom.........0..:cccceesecneaewecenen . Ussued July’ 10; 1919). Part B: NEUROPTEROID INSECTS. By Nathan Banies uaaraae SE Sie iaslae ace CUssued July 11, 1919). Part’ C: DIPTERA. Crane-flies. By Charles P. Alexander. Mosquitoes. By Harrison G. Dyar. : ; Diptera (excluding Tipulidx and Culicide. By J. R. Malloch....... (Issued July 14, 1919). Part D: MALLOPHAGA AND ANOPLURA Mallophaga. By A. W. Baker. Se rete - Anoplura. By G. F. Ferrisand G. H.F. Nuttall................ (Issued September 12, 1919). Part E: COLEOP ERA. hire '. Forest Insects, including Ipide, Cerambycide, and Buprestiin: By J. M. Swaine. Carabids ‘and Silphidx. By H.C. Fall. - Geocoin er Elateride, Chrysomelids and Rhynchophora (excluding Ipide). y C. W. Leng. Dytiscide. By J.D. Sherman, Jr......... SiGe pas dee Rasa abs aes ssued December 12, 1919). Part F: HEMIPTERA. By Edward P. VanDuzee...... Kees hea wi aeeemeuces si (Issued July 11, 1919). Part G: HYMENOPTERA AND PLANT GALLS. , . Sawflies.. (Tenthredinoidea). By Alex. D. MacGillivray. Parasitic Hymenoptera. By Charles T. Brues. Wasps and Bees. By F. W. L. Sladen. : Plant Galls. By E. Porter OLE ccd coshstucelshid Raictsbiclad AvetnieAs (Issued November 8, 1519). Part H: SPIDERS, MITES AND MYRIAPODS. ¢ 5 Spiders. By J. H. Emerton., x j Mites. By Nathan Banks. Myriapods. By Ralph V. Chamberlin.............. cceceeeeceecuenes (Issued July 14, 1919), Part I: LEPIDOPTERA. By Arthur Gibson.. . (Issued January 10, 1920). Part J: ORTHOPTERA. By E. M. Walker (Tesued September 4, 1920). Part K: INSECT LIFE ON “SHE WESTERN ARCTIC COARSE OF AMERICA By Frits Johansen.............0.ccceceeeeeeee (Issued November 7, 1921). Part L: GENERAL INDEX.. VOLUME IV: BOTANY Part A: FRESHWATER ALGAE AND FRESHWATER DIATOMS. By. Charles W. Lowe. Part B: MARINE ALGAE. By F.S. Part C: FUNGI. By John Dearness.. Part D: LICHENS. By G. kK. Merrill. Part E: MOSSES. By R. S. Williams. (Issued February 8, 1921). Part F: MARINE DIATOMS. By Albert SM Antist a ee ue es ee pianeoats Un preparation). VOLUME V: BOTANY. Part A: VASCULAR PLANTS. By James M. Macoun and Theo. Holm....... (Issued October’ 14, 1921). Part B: CONTRIBUTIONS TO MORPHOLOGY, peeked AND GEOGRAPHICAL DIS8- TRIBUTION OF ARCTIC PLANTS. y Theo. Holm...... (Issued February 10, 1982). ee (In preparation). . (Issued June 1, 1923.) ..- (Issued July 16, 1924). (Issued December, 1922). : . (Issued February 20, 1923). - e Part C: GENERAL NOTES ON ARCTIC VEGETATION. By Frits Johansen........(In press). VOLUME VI: FISHES, isbn ETC. | Part A‘ FISHES... ~ By Ei. Job ansom isc sieraises:cisis:shoias apsiaiwarens atee ae hea wie te Nie VRIES HRROSOIS (In preparations. Part B: ASCIDIANS, ETC. By A. G. Huntsman.................... ttailete il ssued N ovember 29, 1922). d VOLUME VII: CRUSTACEA r Part A: DECAPOD CRUSTACEANS. By Mary J. Rathbun........ raeteiss .(Ussued August: 18, 1919). Part B: SCHIZOPOD CRUSTACEANS. By Waldo L. Schmitt......... » Ussued September 22, 1919). Part C: CUMACEA. By W. T. Calman............cccccceccececceeeecuvacs (Issued October 16, Cll Part D: ISOPODA. By P. L. Boone.............00e008 sass eepagyptavaneian’ sialng Giaw (Issued November 10, 1980). Part E: AMPHIPODA. By Clarence Fe p RiOEmG er aireiioracaigievasecaree aeseeee (Issued September 7, 1920).: Part . PYCNOGONIDA. hae ae a Brava vBil ai aba AbataSla sein iavaternia@ averciatecng’a ‘ « (Issued January 3, 1981). wos... (Issued June 23) 1920). Part I: OSTRACODA. By. Ris Ws SRarg0... wcuin, jain boyedcs ais vic aciawnisioes ohalsyentrcaseanne In preparation). ..(Issued May 10, 1928). - ( os Part J: FRESHWATER COPEPODA. By C. Dwight Marsi. 77 seesevee(Lasued April 1, 1920). ’ Part K: MARINE COPEPODA. By A. Willey..........¢....0005 ere ....(Ussued June 26, 1920). ' Part L: PARASITIC COPEPODA. By Chines B. Wilson... ceinater erste -aaued August 6, 1920). Sebgcd CIRRIPEDIA. By H. A. ba let REPORT OF THE CANADIAN ARCTIC EXPEDITION 1913-18 VOLUME V: BOTANY PART C: GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE VEGETATION By FRITS JOHANSEN SOUTHERN PARTY—1913-16 OTTAWA F. A. ACLAND PRINTER TO THE KING’S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY 1924 Issued October 7, 1924 Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924074095427 PREFACE This report is an attempt to give a general description of the vegetation along the western arctic coast of America, based upon my work during the Canadian Arctic expedition, 1913-16. It is supplementary to the two pre- ceding parts of this volume, and the scientific names used are in accordance with them. On the way into the Arctic, natural history collections and observations were made at port Clarence,' in Bering strait (See Vol. III, Part K, pp. 4-5; and Vol. VII, Part N., pp. 3-4), though not enough to warrant the inclusion of a description of the coast south of point Barrow in this report. For a description of the topography and the vegetation of this part of the arctic coast I refer to Beechey’s “Narrative of a voyage to the Pacific and Bering strait, 1825-28, London, 1831,” and particularly to B. Seeman’s general description in ‘Botany of the Voyage of H.M.S. Herald, under the command of Captain H. Kellett, during the years 1845-51, London, 1852.’’ More recent descriptions are found in F. C. Schrader and W. J. Peters: ‘‘A Reconnaissance in Northern Alaska, Professional Paper No. 20, U.S.G.S. Washington, 1904,” A. H. Brooks: ‘“‘Geo- graphy and Geology of Alaska, Professional Paper No. 45, U.S.G.S. Washing- ton, 1906,” and J. Muir: “The Cruise of the Corwin, 1881. New York, 1917.” As the north coast of Alaska is very uniform as to topography, geology, and natural history all the way to Mackenzie delta, it has not been considered neces- sary to subdivide it according to longitude. Owing to our wintering 1913-14 at Collinson point in Camden bay and extensive travelling eastward and west- ward along the coast and up some of the rivers, it has been possible to write special chapters dealing with the topography of the different natural areas in this region from the mountains to the sea, as well as to give a summary on the climate, based upon our meteorological observations, with particular reference to plant life. The vegetation on this part of the coast is treated in detail. The vegetation on the low cape Bathurst peninsula is interesting enough to call for special mention based upon investigations there in July, 1916; and the same is the case with Young point south of Amundsen gulf, where observa- tions were made in the same month. An original, general description of the topography of the coast around Franklin bay, supplied by Dr. R. M. Anderson, is also given, based on work in that region from 1909 to 1912. As the Southern party of the Canadian Arctic expedition had its head- quarters for almost two years (end of August 1914 to middle of July 1916) at Bernard harbour, on the south side of Dolphin and Union strait, detailed investi- gations of the vegetation, insect life, climate, etc., were possible all the year round in that vicinity. A detailed topographical map of the harbour was also made (See Figure 2); but as this will be followed up with topographical and geological descriptions in Vol. XI of the Report of the Canadian Arctic expe- dition, it is sufficient to give only the general features in this paper, in connection with the vegetation examined. The description takes in both the mainland coast and the islands alongside and farther off shore, a particularly interesting subject from the point of view of vegetation, exhibiting as these islands do, all stages from a barren reef of boulders or sand and gravel to larger islands with almost the same number of plants as upon the mainland. A special chapter on the climate at Bernard harbour, with particular reference to the vegetation, is given, being a summary of the meteorological observations made during our stay there. 1 For a description of port Clarence, see also A. E. Nordenskioli: ‘*The Voyage of the Vega round Asia and Europe,” New York 1882, p. 569. 75178—1} 4c Preface A general description of the topographical and geological features of the Coronation gulf region has been supplied by Dr. R. M. Anderson, who visited this area during three summers. In addition, I have added two chapters on the topography and vegetation along the south and west sides of Coronation gulf, including the lower Coppermine river and some of the islands in the Duke of York archipelago. These chapters are based mainly upon information gained on two sledge trips in the wintertime, and on observations and collections of plants made by Messrs. J. R. Cox and J. J. O’ Neill. Finally, a chapter on the topography and vegetation of Wollaston penin- sula, Victoria island, is given, based mainly upon observations and collections of plants made by Mr. D. Jenness and myself in 1915 and 1916. To this a sum- mary of the bedrock vegetation from Stapylton bay eastward to Bathurst inlet, including Wollaston peninsula, forms a natural- appendix. In my two reports already published (Vol. VIII, Part K, General Observa- tions on Insect Life in the Arctic, and Vol. VII, Part N, The Crustacean Life of Some Arctic Lagoons, Lakes and Ponds) a number of data, among them many botanical records of importance for the understanding of the invertebrate life on land and in fresh water will be found. As these two reports belong to the same series as this one, it has not been considered necessary to reprint the data. The author desires to acknowledge his indebtedness to the different persons whose assistance has made the writing and publishing of this report: possible. First of all to the members of the scientific staff of the expedition, who went to the trouble to collect plants at places which the author did not have the oppor- tunity to visit himself, and to whose friendly interest he owes much. Secondly, to the Deputy Minister of Naval Service in Ottawa, Mr. G. J. Desbarats, under whose direction the expedition was sent out and carried through. Thirdly, to the chairman of the Arctic Publications Committee, Prof. E. E. Prince, for continual scientific support. The author is also indebted to the late Mr. James M. Macoun for the preliminary identification of the flowering plants collected during the expedition, and to the officials of the Herbarium of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington for a supply of pressing paper and advance infor- mation about collecting plants in Arctic America, given in 1913. In judging the present report it should be remembered that the author also was responsible, during the expedition, for the collecting and study of insects, fishes and all kinds of marine and freshwater invertebrates, as well as for hydro- ‘graphy; and that biological observations ranked only second or third among the ‘objects of the expedition. It is his hope, however, that this report which, so far as he knows, is the first attempt at a detailed description of the vegetation along a considerable part of the American arctic coast, may be of value to the botanist and geographer alike, as well as to the general reader whose interest in the Arctic regions he believes is steadily growing. Ottawa, February 5, 1923. , FRITS JOHANSEN. CONTENTS PMO ci civ a ehmbsed tea eakinwene ei ae cnUnon anole Saua eae eee were cun es MUR DIOTGTS $e hetero ta ee ese AS pd eal Uden, an has tna Geld aah one vated a eedudy gree be a nee Coast between point Barrow and Mackenzie delta. .........00..0ceccceeceseueeee Topographical features......0.00. 00 0c ccc c cee ee ese e ce en teeta beeen cere ro. The Arctic mountains........... 0.000 ccceusececctavcececutncensnenene NEB GSPAB COAG. sates 2 2 5.8 ate tcete ty these adhd od beaks aes Ge adEe. $4 Rin & olatoans bes oes The Coastal plaints .c...¢< sisnes pacnanieue eden beuiegeuhea oe shaded eo nun es General description.......... 0.00 cccecececuseccceeeesesvensuenees Colville river to Camden bay..........0.cccecc ces eecececeeuseaens Barter island to Herschel island...........0. 00.00 ccc ceceeceeceuees Hrerschielsisl arid ja s:scctelp ge bees 424 wens ein Gasen wa adie aac nod eae sale: saudteattadoniechne F Stokes point to Mackenzie delta............0.. 00sec ececcaeucueuee RONAN aa aia a ees A td vid osha cay Saco yaia fetaee cian tersta Silat es Mwion toucCeamee aeiseoes Vege tations 5 yx eS xf 2) sak ads seers igeacdin cv eb cd le pate Ory pda Danan dashes Gnade Gee hee The beach vegetation.......... 0. ccc cscs cece suc eeceeseneeeetnenneuas ravel and sand islands............. 000. ceccecceveuceeueeuaeeues BDV USA cise saws x avec vawalny ed kis wes Bue ores meee eas £ Ea Martin polite ccicaurdadeu ac aie ad a glad ead maine fabs ars Cieidd Ae GSE eoececs MVE focttsraas tan teccur neces ois aig eve Guanes GS Ae ois ctw SS Mainland beach vegetation.............0 000 cece cece cece eeeeeeeees Vhebeach proper ssp icatcesa Hl aucen ersvnean ton en ewer dvpemaceace The transition 2On@..........c cece cece ene c eee ceunerenucenees The vegetation of the Coastal plain..............c cece ccc e ence ee eeaeee The lowland tundra@icccics, ceaceacutine band ga ain pi gsada Se dea ed oe The upland tun tas. ca. occas jeg-decseo hale a Pew aine aa waleownen Sea wee He Dadlerochit river’ ¢ esasieecsieacenivasaues dover cereus awe hc RR AS Collinson poin tasijaies-ewualnstanes siiats oa ane a4 anes wane Sa Rous Konpanevikt. .nesaisanys oaciaces ee 445 Sine ba we adds Bete siege ewes Herschel island sais sass cssage ea wha pa a tiga: ood ie lacs B9e Saws Greed, Ovare teae wwe Coast between Mackenzie delta and Bathurst inlet..........00.... 0.0 ceeeeeeeeee Wape- Bathurst; ic .c.2 souk ance? helenae aah © byieis! WG a-oyede. aubvsueettil aati cuh te ald aucceuainde Coast south of Amundsen gulf......... 0... ccc c cece eee e cere eee eeeeeneeaes DPEIN APA DAT DOU: GsGaais avs pe etespcies, aur nava ce diepeas dy lave adontad wae ae skewer Ea elon UIA GC sss she! ayer da axaratiooe a ahi Boy led “area GeO her euaniual oom atin aca veces aig eaNauae wee Topography and vegetation.............. 0. cee cece eee eect eee eneeees Pihumalerksiak island................ dias en B eM as Parone ae tu Islands in the outer harbour at Bernard harbour..................0.. Chrsinit ry SIA sso. cca tices $5 o.heiuial osbee Rum ik: Apday RE RH Mle nine Rao es 6° Mainland at Bernard harbour.............. 000 c cect eee eens FL OPOBPADDY i med auc caso and ahead ta sous Peaiea ad Meine eae oi Wegetatlons..6.2 5 v4 veins si Scneahcwanadurye ads Gan Seleaia were aa aon Goats oe SIG Coastaliaredivcnvcnag ane viagd aalaunen sake men awand ae ssi Inland area: aise ug seesaw yea ee eee Denney axes HENS 6 He eee Liston and Sutton islands) cscs ses soc tang ies Hoe eG Ba Ree aan Pea Race dhe Coronation Gulliic jcc ue ascieu 4 mse Mes oy aades whe Rone Pie Satominnswaalen dhaaldad neous PODOPT APU Yer slevore a fbieid se sinspunch e:Sendetd eg hub tack tema doNapes Hae cyleqa dea sevens aeainies ase MESEtA LION 33 cascage create ab ha cep aod Bimal Nanas d wisudle e-etler an eee Meee geeeCerna West side of Coronation gulf......... 0... cece eet n eee e nee ens South side of Coronation gulf........ 0... ccc cece cee ee ee en aes Islands:in' Coronation gulls... 00cs¢sasanaee ads det aa seg HOt eee eG aes Wollaston peninsula, Victoria island........... 0... eee eee Remarks on bedrock vegetation........... 000 cece cee cece eee e eet nee ees Plates illustrating vegetation......... 0.0 0c cece eee ee tenet teen eens Mapes secea.gaid gasprek o Buea peaatannsy sh aa anid Marah ans Oa cbr kW Taig Saat, Naese ioneceeege the teaa ge TABLE OF ILLUSTRATIONS PLATES EAGE I. Vegetation at Collinson point, Camden bay, Alaska............. 0000s 59¢ Tig. 1. Hummocky coastal tundra in winter. Fig. 2. Edge of coastal tundra in July. II. Details of vegetation at Camden bay, Alaska........... 0.00 c cece eee eee 6lc Fig. 1. Elymus on sand dunes. Fig. 2. Polemonium, Saxifraga, Papaver, Artemisia, etc., on coastal flats. III. Flowering plants at Collinson point, Alaska, and Herschel island, Yukon Terri- HOLY cncscude han eeee Re ee THERE WEE Hel ee ek SS Se Hee da dere Hep gies 63 ¢ Fig. 1. Astragalus and Pedicularis in bloom. Fig. 2. Sazifraga, Selinum, and Bupleurum in bloom. IV. Vegetation ab Herechel island an JU yc ccse.d cons aent alec dace Pao BEM eee D 65¢ Fig. 1. Lagoltis, Parrya, Phaca, and Pedicularis in bloom. Fig. 2. Erigeron, Selinum, Myosotis, and Senecto in bloom. V.. Vegetation ati Herschel island In Julyiccissecgaeues can aw acet on naweew gee ames 67 ¢c Fig. 1. Polygonum and Artemisia in bloom. Fig. 2. Lupinus, Myosotis, Castilleja, Dryas, and Artemisia in bloom. VI. Vegetation at Herschel island in July and August... 2... 0.0.2.6. cceeeseeees 69¢ Fig. 1. Daisies (Matricaria inodora var. grandiflora) in bloom, Tig. 2. Achillea, Artemisia, Myosotis, and Ranunculus in bloom. VII. Vegetation at Bernard harbour, Dolphin and Union strait, Northwest Terri- TOPOS: ssi alraseon ih atari gts acon, tages ap noavions ive gh arts ener sea nse Ake baer ECR sb ies 71c Fig. 1. Hedysarum and Dryas in bloom on sandy slope. Fig. 2. Staminate blossoms of Salix anglorum on sandy slope. VIIL. Vegetation at Bernard harbouts...0c2+cecee snes tekaw ces eee ee Rea eee 73°C Fig. 1. Silene and Dryas in bloom. Fig. 2. Cassiope, Rhododendron, Dryas, and Pedicularis in bloom. IX. Vegetation at Bernard harbour..........6.0 cece cece cece eee etn en eeeees 75¢ Fig. 1. Buttercup (Ranuculus affinis) in bloom on hillside. Fig. 2. Dryas integrifolia in bloom on dry flats. X. Vegetation at Fider-duck rookery near Cockburn point................0005 77c Fig. 1. Cerastium alpinwm blooming by nest of Pacific eider. Fig. 2. Senecio palustris var. congestus in bud. MAPS Plate XI. Western Arctic Coast of America; Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1913-1918... 79c Plate XII. Bernard harbour, Dolphin and Union strait, Northwest Territories........ 81c Plate XIII. Camden bay, Arctic coast of Alaska)... ccc csc ace see tao dase eae sone eee 83¢ Plate XIV. Arctic Coast from the Alaska-Yukon Boundary to Mackenzie delta 85 ¢ The Vegetation of the Arctic Coast Between Point Barrow, Alaska, and Bathurst Inlet, N.W.T. By Frits JoHANSEN EXPLORERS The explorers and expeditions who have investigated or visited the arctic coast between point Barrow, Alaska, and Bathurst inlet, N.W.T., and who have made collections of plants, are as follows:— 1. John Franklin, etc., 1821. (Coppermine river to Kent peninsula and Bathurst inlet). 2. John Franklin and Geo. Back, The Second Franklin Boat Expedition, 1826, acces river west to Return reef, about Long. 149° W., and return). 3. John Richardson and E. N. Kendall, 1826. (Mackenzie delta to Copper- mine river and Great Bear lake). 4. Peter Warren Dease and Thomas Simpson, Boat Expedition 1837. .(Mac- kenzie river west to point Barrow and return). 5. Peter Warren Dease and Thomas Simpson, 1838-39. (Coppermine river to about Long. 94° W.) 6. John Richardson and J. Rae, 1848 (Mackenzie river to Coppermine river and Great Bear lake). 7. W. J.S. Pullen and W. H. Hooper, Boat Expedition, 1849. (Point Barrow to Mackenzie delta). 8. W. J. S. Pullen, 1850 (Mackenzie river to cape Bathurst and return). 9. John Rae, 1850-51. (Coppermine river, Coronation gulf and south side of Victoria island). 10. Robt. T. L. McClure, in Investigator, 1850-52 (Banks and Victoria islands). 11. Richard Collinson, in the Enterprise, 1850-54, (Banks and Victoria islands, Dolphin and Union strait and Coronation gulf, wintered in Camden bay, 1853-54). ; ; Most of the collections made by the above expeditions are in the British Museum, London. 12. John Ray, John Murdoch, etc., U.S. International Polar Expedition. (Point Barrow, 1881-83). Collections in U.S. National Museum, Washington, D.C. 13. Rev. (later Bishop) J. O. Stringer, 1893-1900 (Herschel island to Warren point). : ; . ; Collections in the National Herbarium, Victoria Memorial Museum, Ottawa, Ont., and the Museum of the University of Toronto, Ont. 14, Peters and Schrader, 1901. (Colville river and westward to point Barrow). Collections in the U.S. National Museum, Washington, D.C. 1 See also Amer. Journ. Sci. Arts, Vol. 40, 1841, pp. 9-12. 8c 15. 16. 17, 18. 19. 20. Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1918-18 David T. Hanbury and Hubert Darrell, 1902. (Ogden bay to Coppermine river). Collections in Kew Gardens, London. Roald Amundsen, Gjéa Expedition, 1905-06. (Wintered at King point, Y.T., 1905-1906, and passed westward along the coast on the way out). Collections in the Museums of Christiania and Copenhagen. V. Stefansson and R. M. Anderson, 1908-12. (Point Barrow to Victoria island and east of Coppermine river). Collections in the Museum of New York Botanical Garden, New York. The Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1913-18, (Camden bay to Bathurst inlet and back, including Banks and Victoria islands). Main collections in the National Herbarium, Victoria Memorial Museum, Ottawa, Ont. Fairly complete sets in the British Museum and in the Botanical Museum, Copenhagen. Rev. H. Girling, 1915-19. (Mackenzie delta to Coronation gulf and Victoria island). Jos. F. Bernard, 1916-20. (Victoria island and Dolphin and Union strait). Collections made by Rev. Girling and Capt. Bernard, in the National Herbarium, Victoria Memorial Museum, Ottawa, Ont. COAST BETWEEN POINT BARROW AND MACKENZIE DELTA TOPOGRAPHICAL FEATURES _ Much information about the topographical features of the coast between point Barrow and Mackenzie delta is scattered in reports and books by and about the various explorers who have travelled there since the days of Beechey, Franklin, and Dease and Simpson. It remained, however, for E. de K. Leffingwell, who spent almost eight years up there, to give the first complete and scientific description of the region, including the mountains north of the divide back of Canning river, treated mainly from a geological point of view, and to present the first accurate general map of the whole coast and more detailed maps of the region west of the international boundary.1 Tue Arctic MounraAINs The Arctic mountains, a system formerly considered as an outrunner from the Rocky mountains, stretch as a belt nearly east and west across arctic Alaska at a varying distance from the coast, reaching the sea in the west at cape Lis- burne. Their width varies from about 50 to about 150 miles, and at certain places they reach an elevation of 2,000 feet. Their southern contour is very little known, except at Colville river and the international boundary. Towards the east they are continued in mountains of less altitude which end in a scarp along the west branch of Mackenzie river, and to the north they fall off toward the Arctic slope, i.e., the Plateau and the Coastal plain between the mountains and the Arctic ocean. A great number of rivers, a few of which are large, originate on or near the divide and flow northward to the Arctic ocean, generally with a fairly straight course after the mountains have been left behind. In the mountains they commonly flow through glacial troughs. Tue PLATEAU The Plateau part of the Arctic slope is in general fairly well set off from the mountain base and slopes northward for various distances. It seems to be widest, perhaps about 100 miles, farthest west, though little is known of it except at Colville river where it is 80 miles wide, and decreases in width eastward until it becomes almost entirely absent near the international boundary, where the mountains come closest to the ocean; while, still farther east, it comes near to the sea or even reaches it. It is interesting to note that the Coastal plain, from which as a rule it is divided by a scarp, shows the same character- istics still more pronounced, being more than 150 miles wide at point Barrow and less than 10 miles at the international boundary, and still less farther east. The Plateau has the form of a rolling, upland tundra, in strong physio- graphic contrast to the mountains on its south side from which, as stated, it is generally well set off. This upland tundra seems a nearly featureless plain when viewed from an elevation. It is broken here and there by open river or creek valleys trending generally north and south. At certain places, however, the surface is more irregular, due to glacial or fluviatile erosion or deposits, and the ground consists often of rather barren gravel banks or mud cliffs. A good idea of the relation of the Plateau to the mountains may be gleaned from Leffingwell.? The character of the Plateau in the neighbourhood of point Barrow is very little known. Indeed, our knowledge is practically limited to the observations made. by Ray? on the transition zone between the Plateau and the Coastal plain. 1 Leffingwell, E. de K., The Canning River Region, Northern Alaska, U.S.G.o., Professional Paper 109, Washington, 1919. : ae pin’ tent of the International Polar Expedition to Point Barrow, Alaska. Washington, 1885, pp. 27-28. 10c Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1913-18 Ray struck across country south of point Barrow for Meade river, which he followed up for some distance until he came within sight of the Meade mount- ains, and returned practically the same way. Some information about the Plateau cast of point Barrow may be gained from Schrader and Peters,' who made some observations along the Colville river. A detailed description of the Plateau still farther east, viz., from the Canning River and the Camden Bay regions, is given by Leffingwell’ who, in his book, also includes observations made by R. M. Anderson in the Endicott mountains at the head of Hulahula river in the fall of 1908, and observations made on sled trips inland from Camden bay by members of the Southern Party of the Canadian Arctic expedition in 1913-14. For information about the Plateau back of Camden bay credit is also due to Collinson. Concerning the Plateau at the international boundary, reference may be made to Cairnes! and to Joint Report, Survey and Demarcation International Boundary between United States and Canada along 141st Meridian, Ottawa and Washington, 1918. Regarding the character of the Plateau east of the international boundary, information is to be found in Sir John Franklin’s® account of his ascent of Mt. Conybeare (Buckland chain) in the summer of 1827 and in reports of later explorers who went up Herschel Island river for various distances, viz.: Harrison,’ Amundsen’ and O’Neill®. It would appear from their reports that, generally speaking, the Plateau comes nearer and nearer the sea from the inter- national boundary castward to Shoalwater bay so that the Coastal plain may be reduced to less than a mile in width or he totally absent, or may be represented only by gravel bars or sand flats. The ‘‘coastal plateau” has the form of tundra banks which may reach several hundred feet in height, or rolling hills consisting of mud, sand, or gravcl, with steep bluffs where it is subject to erosion by the sea.” Topographically, but perhaps not geologically, Herschel island may be considered to form a part or out-runner of the Plateau, perhaps having become separated from the mainland by a process of erosion by the sea similar to that which is now going on at Kay point, from east and west. The topography and geology of Herschel island are described by O’Neill." The writer has also made a number of observations, but the island is perhaps best treated as a part of the Coastal plain, together with the other islands of the coast. The Plateau between Stokes point, opposite Herschel island, and the mouth of the Mackenzie delta is little known. Eutrema, are however by no means common and occur more isolated here and there; others, viz.: 7 See Plate I, fig. 1, in Vol. IV, Pt. A, of these reports 2 See fig. 4, p. 7, Vol. VII, Pt. E, of these reports. 3 Primula stricta occurs in similar places but nearer the beach. 4 See Plates II-III, in Pt. A, of this volume. 5 See Plate I, fig. 2, in Pt. A. of this volume 42¢ Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1913-18 Trisetum, Ranunculus, Hedysarum are perhaps more characteristic of less cov- ered, sandy or gravelly stretches; while the rest, particularly Carex, Saliz, Silene, Saxifraga, Dryas, and Pedicularis form the bulk of the vegetation on the dry tundra, together with a number of mosses and lichens. (Plate IX, fig. 2) Carex rupestris, Cerastium, Potentilla, and Oxytropis are perhaps, besides certain tuft grasses, the most characteristic plants on the more barren gravel plains; but where the plains mainly consist of clay the following characteristic plants occur almost exclusively, viz.: Tofieldia palustris, Lychnis affinis, Draba alpina, Braya purpurascens, Parrya macrocarpa, Primula stricta (mainly near the beach), Chrysanthemum integrifolium. Tofieldia palustris and Parrya macro- carpa are however rather rare and seem only to be found on moist ground. To the above lists of the plants occurring on the drier tundra should also be added those occurring mainly in the tundra swamps but which spread out to moist places, depressions, small gullies, etc., on the drier ground. The gravel ridges and slopes near the coast have a vegetation which is best developed upon the south-facing slopes, particularly where these are some- what sandy. In places where the ground is made up of limestone, to the exclusion of surface soil, the lichens make up the bulk of the vegetation, and only in small pockets here and there a few hardy plants occur, such as mosses, Saxifraga oppositifolia, Dryas, Potentilla, etc. This refers particularly to the tops of the points in which the gravel ridges from inland reach the sea. The more gravelly, clayey, or sandy parts of the ridges have generally a good vegetation, particularly in places which have some protection from the wind and where, in the case of sandy soil, the plants have been able to conquer the ground without later.being deprived of it. In this connection it was inter- esting to observe the sandy slope on the south side of the peninsula facing the bay just south of the station. 1t is covered by a dense growth of Salix anglorum, Silene acaulis, Dryas integrifolia, Potentilla, Oxytropis, Hedysarum Mackenzit, etc., in the form of “nigger heads” partly covering the sand. The sand, how- ever, is being hollowed out and carried away by melt-water in the spring and by the force of the wind so that some of the plant pillows are tumbling down, though still retaining life and showing many flowers. (Plate VII, fig. 1; Plate VIII, fig. 1). The following may be considered typical plants for the sandy slopes, viz.: Calamagrostis purpurascens, Poa arctica, Festuca ovina var. brevifolia, Carex scirpoidea, Salix anglorum, Cerastium alpinum, Anemone parviflora*!, Lesquer- ella arctica*, Hesperis Pallasii*, Saxifraga decipiens var. groenlandica, 8S. tri- cuspidata, Dryas integrifolia, Potentilla spp., Astragalus aboriginorum*, Oxy- tropis spp., Hedysarum Mackenzti, Androsace Chamaejasme, Plantago lanceolata, Campanula uniflora, Erigeron wniflorus*, Antennaria alpina*, A. candida*, Artemisia sp., Arnica alpina*. Some of the illustrations accompanying this report (See also Pt. A, Plate I, fig. 1, of this volume) show better than many words how certain species dominate where they occur, to the exclusion of other plants, and how luxuriant a vegetation certain places on the slopes have. As a matter of fact, not even the lower, more plant-filled tundra shows such a variety of different, well-developed plants as do certain parts of the slopes. Covered during the winter and spring with a deep layer of snow which melts under the strong influence of the midday sun 1 The plants marked with an x are particularly typical. Inland Area at Bernard Harbour 43 ¢ as the summer progresses, the plants grow quickly and during the height of the summer exhibit their blue, red, yellow, or white cymes and stars to the delight of numberless insects and children of mankind. Gentle summer breezes imbibe the lovely odour of these many flowers and carry it down to lower levels, where it mingles with the evaporation from ponds and swamps and is felt even on the sea.? Inland Area A kind of transition zone between the coastal tundra and the bedrock table-land inland is formed by more or less extensive stony or clayey gravel plains with swampy depressions, lakes and ponds, which intervene between the ridges of sand, gravel, and boulders, stretching from the hinterland to the coast. Taken as a whole, these plains are exceedingly barren of vegetation, having only scattered plants of grasses, Silene acaulis, Draba, Saxifraga oppositifolia, Dryas, Potentilla, and a few others. Alsine verna var. rubella is perhaps the most typical plant for these gravel plains. The swampy depressions, however, have usually a rich vegetation of Carex, Eriophorum, etc. The only other vegetation to speak of is found on top of certain hummocks which melt free of snow early in the summer and are the favourite camping places for the Eskimos when travelling inland. These plains often stretch far inland over areas where no outcrops of bedrock occur, but are not very markedly set off from the adjoining ridges. Certain plants, viz.: Salix pulchra, Betula glandulosa, Cardamine digitata, Rhododendron lapponicum, Cassiope tetragona, Vaccinium uliginosum forma microphylla, Pedicularis arctica, and one or two others may be said to be typical for the dry tundra swamps or slopes inland and do not occur right at the coast in the vicinity of Bernard harbour, according to my observations. (Plate VIII, fig. 2) In the case of Salix and Betula the reason apparently is the greater amount of protection from the wind given them inland; and this is also shown by their luxuriant growth in the shelter of large boulders or in depres- sions, small gullies, etc., where others plants also reach an unusual development. While the gravel ridges right at the coast are very barren except on the south sides and in particularly protected pockets, their vegetation a few miles inland is far better, both on the tops and slopes. Particularly where many boulders are scattered the vegetation is rich, and in the depressions mosses, Cassiope, Vaccinium, etc., are common. Different lichens and grasses, Silene, Draba corymbosa, Saxifraga oppositifolia, S. tricuspidata, Dryas, Potentilla‘ Pedicularis lanata, are by far the most predominant plants on the ridges; it is only in particularly favourable places that other plants, such as Carex and Chrys- anthemum integrifolium, are conspicuous. During all my stay at Bernard har- bour I was unable to find any plants which might be considered typical to the tops of the hills or gravel ridges and which were not also found on the surround- ing lower ground in places where the soil was similar. The character of the 2 Men who are familiar with Arctic conditions have criticized many of the accompanying photographs of Arctic plant assemblages as giving an exaggerated idea of the size of most of the plants. In order to make the species of low or dwarfed ground vegetation identifiable in a picture it has been necessary to bring the camera very near to the object, losing depth ot background, and giving no just standard of comparison. For photographic purposes, thrifty, well- developed specimens have usually been chosen, showing the grouping of locally associated species, so that such pictures are typical of the possibilities of particular plants growing in favourable situations, rather than of their depauperate or even average aspects under other conditions. Some of the less hardy species, moreover, are local in their Arctic distri- bution, and are not found except in an abnormally sheltered habitat. - The author’s report on ‘Insect Life on the Western Arctic Coast of America, Part K of Volume III, Report of the Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1913-18,” is in a measure complementary to the present botanical paper. The insect life of the Arctic, as elsewhere, is to a larg> extent dependent upoa the plint life, and the twenty photographic reproductions accompanying the paper on insect life are in some ways b2tter adapted than the illustrations of the present paper to giving a fairly complete bird's-eye view of the averag2 vegetation in each of the different types of country visited by the expedition.—Ed. 44¢ Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1913-18 vegetation near the coast thus seems to depend much more upon the character of the soil than upon altitude. Thus, upon the hill tops or slopes stony places are rather barren, except for lichens, while depressions, in the shelter of large boulders or surrounding occasional ponds, have a good and sometimes luxuriant vegetation of many different plants, indeed, perhaps even a better vegetation than at a lower level where the same plants occur. Besides Salix pulchra and Rhododendron lapponicum, typical for the dry tundra swamps inland, the valleys between the ridges inland contain all the typical swamp plants found in the valleys nearer the coast, for instance, grasses, Carex spp., Salzx reticulata, Pedicularis sudetica,’ Senecio lugens, S. frigidus. So far as my information goes, the country inland for about a dozen miles west and south of our winter quarters at Bernard harbour is very similar in its topography and vegetation to the coast proper. While west of the station dolomite crops out only about a mile inland in the bed of the large creek, it first occurs, south of the station, at a much greater distance inland, and at an elevation at least twice as high (about 50 feet). The rock exposures inland, however, are much more extensive in a southerly than in a westerly direction, so that it may be said that the higher land inland southwest of the station is composed mainly of bedrock, with a “coastal”? margin to the north and south. It consists of flat beds of white-grey dolomite rock showing, often to a large degree, weather erosion on its surface, so that many cracks and more or less free and raised rock pieces are formed. Unlike the boulders of glacial origin which are scattered all over the district, the bedrock is not to any extent covered with lichens apart from the least eroded parts. On its surface are many depres- sions, containing a number of temporary or permanent ponds, and the vegetation is particularly developed as swamps in the depressions.? Generally speaking, this higher rocky land is fairly well set off from the low coastal land north and east of it. It is conspicuously level on the top and thus forms a kind of table- land with a few higher, more or less isolated gravel ridges here and there, stretch- ing from west to east. Some of these gravel ridges are continuations from the higher land farther inland. Largely owing to the presence of the bedrock, the valleys between them are far less developed than in the coastal zone, except along the few large creeks and lakes. I could find no plants on these outcrops of bedrock which did not also occur in gravelly or sandy places nearer the coast. Sazxifraga tricuspidata is, however, a very common and typical plant growing in large, spreading pillows scattered over the surface. Two other species of Sazifraga, viz.: S. oppositifolia and S. cernua, bes:des mosses and lichens, may perhaps also be included among the plants typical of the bedrock, apart from its swampy places. LISTON AND SUTTON ISLANDS Liston and Sutton islands and the smaller islands of the same group in Dolphin and Union strait, between Bernard harbour and Wollaston peninsula, were visited by members of the Canadian Arctic expedition only during the winter and spring, when the land is covered with snow and it is difficult to get a good idea of the vegetation. _ The geological make-up of the islands is described in Part A of Vol. XI of this series, by Dr. J. J. O'Neill, based partly upon observations and collections I made there in March and April, 1916. It is therefore enough to state that they are mainly made up of a much eroded conglomerate formation of palaeozoic dolomite, in the form of smaller, isolated rock exposures or larger, higher cliffs, 1 Tn this connection it may be mentioned that the difference in occurrence between the four species of Pedicularis found at Bernard harbour is very striking. P. lanata is scattered as single plants all over the tundra and the gravel ridges. P. capitata occurs in clumps mainly on certain small hummocks, elevated from the rest of the tundra and with a rich vegetation. P. sudetica is a plant typical ef the wet tundra swamps, while the less common P. arctica is perhaps as characteristic for the dry tundra swamps inland. 2 See fig. 2on Plate VIII, Voi. III, Pt. K, of these reports. 3 See also Vol. XII, Pt A, v. 26. of these reports. Coronation Gulf Vegetation 45¢c with many stretches of gravel and fragments in between. Upon the gravel or tundra stretches are found the same plants as occur along the coast at Bernard harbour, particularly on Chantry island, to which Liston and Sutton islands seem to correspond closely, in regard to vegetation, though they perhaps con- tain a few more species of plants, owing to their larger size and proximity to Victoria island. They are also said, by Eskimos, to contain one or two large trout lakes, while nothing beyond ponds are found upon Chantry island. It was interesting to observe, in April, 1916, the following plants which seemed to grow exclusively upon, or to be particularly characteristic of the dolomite cliffs, both in crevices and upon the free surface, viz.: various algae, mosses, and lichens, Sazifraga tricuspidata, S. oppositifolia, S. cernua. Of the three species of Saxifraga the last named seems to grow exclusively on the dolomite cliffs. CORONATION GULF TOPOGRAPHY I am indebted to Dr. R. M. Anderson for the following general description of the Coronation gulf region:! “Coming into Coronation gulf, after passing cape Krusenstern at the eastern end of Dolphin and Union strait, a distant glimpse is given of the diabase islands of the Duke of York archipelago. The rock expos- ures of the peninsula between cape Krusenstern and Locker point are of the same dolomite limestone which is exposed here and there along both sides of Dolphin and Union strait, and the soil in general is rather sterile, with many loose, sharply broken stones and a rather scanty vegetation. “The northwest side of Coronation gulf, from the north side of Basil Hall bay to cape Hearne and beyond, is rather low with sandy beaches, rising gradually to low, stony hills behind them. The first precipitous cliffs begin at cape Kendall, a dark-coloured diabase over- lying sandy limestone. Similar exposures are found around Back inlet, alternating with lower valleys which have tundra vegetation and dwarf willows. The first willows of any consequence in this region appear a few miles up Rae river, according to Mr. J. R. Cox, at rather frequent intervals, but there is no growth of spruce or other timber nearer than the trees on the Coppermine river. “There are some rather low stony or boulder island lying off the mouths of the Coppermine river, but as a rule the numerous islands of Coronation gulf have quite a different and distinctive character, in that they lie in parallel series, approximately east and west, consisting of vertical sea- cliffs running up to 200 feet in height, facing to the south or southeast and sloping down to the sea on the north or northwest. The slope of the top forms an angle of about fifteen degrees with the horizon, giving deep water at the foot of the cliffs, and a gradually deepening rock- bottom on the opposite side of the islands. “The same terraced formations of diabase rock are continued on the mainland south and southwest of Coronation gulf, from cape Kendall to about the Sandstone rapids of the Coppermine river, about thirty miles south of Coronation gulf on the east side of the Coppermine. West of the Coppermine river the beach is low and sandy around Mackenzie bay, with rolling hills behind. Except on the diabase terraces, the country here is fairly well grassed, with patches of ground willows here and there. Some of the hills are of a light-coloured, almost white, clay formation. Patches of willows of some size are found in some of the small gullies and valleys leading up from the Coppermine river. 1See also pp. 17-23 in Vol. XII, Pt. A, of these reports. 46¢ Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1913-18 “Hast of the Coppermine river the beach is usually sandy, with clay and gravel hills behind. The Naparktoktuok, a short river which flows out through steep clay hills about ten miles east of the Coppermine, has a few small spruce growing in the valley within ten miles of the coast, several miles north of the northern limit of trees on the Coppermine itself. The Kogaryuak river, about eighteen miles east of the Copper- mine river, has a comparatively level, sandy coastal plain two or three miles wide near its mouth, with a number of small shoal lagoons and ponds on the surrounding tundra. Willows grow four or five feet high a mile or two up this stream. Back of the narrow coastal plain are-short diabase ridges here and there, among which, at the base of the talus slopes, are narrow, sloping passes grown with deep tundra moss and ‘nigger- head’ tussocks of cotton-grass (Eriophorum). “The country on the south side of Coronation gulf is in general about the same for about sixty-five miles east of the mouth of the Copper- mine river, to a point a few miles west of port Epworth or the mouth of Tree river, where the granite appears on the coast in the form of rounded granite knolls and small rounded granite islands fringing the coast. East of this point the granite is often overlain with quartzite, shale, sandstone, or dolomite, but the basic rock is granite. “Tree river, known to the Eskimos as Kogluktualuk, flows for its last few miles through a narrow valley of clay hills, with numerous thickets of willows near its banks.! Like all the other rivers of this region it has falls or rapids within a few miles of its mouth. In the some- what sheltered valley of this river the flora is considerably richer than on the coast, and the local natives say that it has some spruce on one of its branches which heads farther west, not far from the Coppermine. So far as is known, there is no timber on any Arctic-flowing river east of Tree river, and outside of the scanty timber on the lower Coppermine river there is probably no other timber nearer than the valley of the Thelon or Akkilinek river, which flows into Chesterfield inlet. Backs river is said to have no timber on any part of its course. “Where not hidden by later formations, the granite appears here and there east of cape Barrow until it becomes the prevailing rock at the surface in the southern half of Bathurst inlet and eastward. The granite country in general is barren on the rugged summits and slopes, except for lichens which are usually gray, but in some places give a reddish appearance to great areas on the hillsides. From the tops of the hills careful inspection shows many bright green patches in little valleys or gullies, or insmall basins in the rocks where a little soil has collected. In such places, low dwarf willows, sphagnum moss, cotton-grass, and other species have gained a footing. Arctic heather often grows luxuri- antly in small patches, on shelving rocks, and a few flowering plants are seen. “A noticeable characteristic of the rounded hill granite country is the large number of small ponds and lakes, mere rock-bottomed basins or depressions in the granite. Owing to the slight rainfall and the short season for evaporation of water, these basins are fed by melting snow which lies long and late in the settled drifts in the valleys. They are not contaminated by silt or by dissolving minerals from sedimentary rocks, and are usually clear as crystal. Frequently having no outlet, they merely fill up until the surplus water flows over the rim of the basin into one lower down, so that many of the lakes are connected in this way. “For two or three miles back from the mouth of Wentzel river, the soil is very sandy, with rock outcropping here and there, supporting ‘See Plate II, in Vol. III, Pt. K, of these reports. Coronation Gulf Vegetation 47 ¢ little but a few sparse, coarse grasses. The islands from Grays bay east are little granite outliers here and there near the coast, wave-worn and sometimes almost awash. Outside of the coast islands, Hepburn island, Jameson islands, and others are of the usual Coronation gulf diabase type. The coast line being usually rugged, there is little place for the lagoons which are a feature of the coast farther west. The eastern end of Coronation gulf and of Bathurst inlet is rather a coast of long, narrow, rocky fjords cutting deeply into the land.! ° “North of Moore bay, and lying two or three miles outside of the Detention harbour granite islands, are some rather large islands of stratified dolomite, cut by a large dike of diabase which also appears inland on the mainland near there. At Kater point, the diabase cliffs are high and bold, with lower ridges to the southward, merging into a low, sandy shore towards the mouth of Hood river. Hood river has its entrance partly masked by a number of low, sandy islands. The river has high-cut banks of muddy clay for three or four miles, with willows five or six feet high and one inch or more in diameter in some of the bends. At the first cascade, nine or ten miles from the mouth of the river, the steep clay banks are about 100 feet high, with a level grassy bench extending back about half a mile to a ridge of fine, red sandstone, cut on the north side by a dike of coarse-grained diabase with a broad, grassy valley beyond. The next ridge is quartzite, succeeded by another grassy valley with granite hills farther on. A few caribou were seen in the grassy valleys here, but in most of this region the pasturage is too limited near the coast to support many caribou, although some numbers pass through in migrations. “The shores and islands of Bathurst inlet east of Arctic sound are mostly rocky and rugged, similar to the Coronation gulf islands in general appearance, although much higher and more rugged. The diabase overflow characterizes the surface features of the northern part of Bath- urst inlet, overlying granite, quartzite, or dolomite as the case may be. The shore of the south end of Arctic sound is low and sandy for a short distance, but the country behind is very rugged. East of Hood river the low land and soil deposits are much less frequent and the vegetation consequently more scanty. Heather and other plants were found in places and even a few dwarf blueberries (Vaccinium) on Barry island, but in practically no place east of Hood river could we find willows large enough to be of any practical use as fuel, although in some places the Eskimos were able to gather enough creeping ground willow stems in spring, and in some places dwarf birch enough to make small fires. “South of Arctic sound, and the south and east sides of Bathurst inlet, the country appears to be a very high, rough, granite country, and the Eskimos who hunt there state that it is very barren and d fficult to travel over, in many places almost impossible to negotiate except by packing in summer. South of Arctic sound appears to be about the western limit where the muskoxen are said to be at all common, although a few are said to be found as far west as Grays bay. Some of the natives of the Bathurst inlet region make overland trips to Backs river and the Akkilinek (Thelon) river, principally to get spruce wood from the latter river valley. The diabase rock on some of the islands of Bathurst inlet and a certain area of the mainland contains native copper in amygdules and small veins, but most of it appears to be of rather low grade. The Eskimos of the region ltammer out many of their crude implements from this copper, which is usually found as float pieces on the shores.” 1 See Plate X. fig. 2, in Vol. ITI, Pt. K, of these reports. 48 ¢ Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1913-18 VEGETATION West Side of Coronation Gulf Concerning the lower Coppermine river, the observations herewith given are mainly from a sledge trip made in February, 1915. The mouth of the river is wide and while its east side is formed by a long and broad sandspit shooting out from a low, gravelly tundra plain lying at the foot of the clay hills, the west side of the mouth is formed by an outrunner from the gravelly clay banks up to about 100 feet high which a little farther up the river form the banks on both sides. These banks are partly of marine,! partly of glacial origin, and are steep and barren, furrowed by melt-water on the side facing the river, but otherwise well covered with the typical tundra vegetation. Willows, reaching the height of a man, were noticed on the low, gravelly clay banks or islands in the river mouth, but outside of them they only occurred of any size on a south- exposed, protected place on the west bank of the mouth; and it was only as one ascended the large creek valleys coming down to the river that they attained a similar or larger size. I followed such a creek valley on the east side a con- siderable distance up and found that high, steep clay banks faced the creek valley in the same way as along the river itself, but with the difference that the willows attained a much closer growth and better development at the foot; in especially protected places they reached more than double man-height, and some of them had trunks thicker than a man’s arm.2 The predominant species of the bushy or tree willows is Salix Richardsonii but some of the fragments (catkins, etc.) which I collected there have been doubtfully referred by Dr. C. Schneider to S. glauca, so that it would seem that this more southern species comes very near the Arctic coast at least in the larger creek and river valleys. I collected a few plants sticking up from the snow on the top of the clay hills in this creek valley; besides the willows mentioned they included Festuca sp., Lupinus sp., Plantago lanceolata, Achillea borealis, Artemisia vulgaris var. Tilesit. Lupinus seemed to be much more common on the lower Coppermine than around Bernard harbour. For the kind of plants that compose the vegetation, I refer to Richardson’s* general remarks about the coast between Mackenzie and Coppermine rivers, and to the appendix in Richardson’s‘ account of his last expedition and to Hooker’s Flora.2 No plants were collected by members of the Canadian Arctic expedition along the west side of Coronation gulf and the lower Coppermine river, except those which I noticed sticking up from the snow and of which I took samples; these species of course represent only a part of those actually present. Bloody fall has been well described by the earlier explorers of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and little that is new has been added since. The east side of the gorge is formed of very steep and high cliffs, practically without vegetation on the side facing the river; the vegetation is best developed (scrub willows, etc.) upon the lower cliffs on the west side. Above Bloody fall the river widens out considerably and has high, gravelly and sandy cliffs on both sides, generally steep and barren towards the river, but often with “foreland” at their foot and with slopes and gullies on the sides, the latter with good vegetation (scrub willows, etc.). I also noticed a few almost man-high willows on a south-facing slope on the east side of the river just below the narrows above Bloody fall. Hanbury who passed here in the summer describes the country as flat or undulating and grass-covered, with willow beds on either side; he also says that the river winds between low banks or in places without definite banks. At Escape rapid, farther inland, the hills 1 Pleistocene mollusks found by F. Johansen here Feb. 1915. See W. H..Dall, Moilusks, Recent and Pleistocene, Report of the Canadian Arctic expedition, 1913-18, voi. VIII, Pt. A. Ottawa, 1919, pp. 26-29. 2 See photo on B10, in Pt. B, of this volume. 3 Franklin, J. arrative of a Second Expedition to the Shores of the Polar Sea. London, 1828, pp. 264-65. 4 Richardson, J. Arctic Searching Expedition, New York, 1852. 5 Hooker, W.J. Flora boreali-americana. London, 1833-40. Coronation Gulf Vegetation 49 c attain their greatest height while along the river they have more the character of slopes, except where the river is bounded by cliffs. These slopes have a good vegetation of the typical tundra plants, and “nigger-heads” are abundant. Soon after passing Escape rapid, up-stream, the most northerly trees (white spruce) on the river are seen. They are represented by about a dozen dwarfed trees up to about four feet high, standing isolated or scattered up the steep west side. From there on, the trees increase in number and dimensions, here and there on the sides of the river; they are especially well developed in the mouths of small creek valleys coming down to the river, where some trees attain a height of about twelve fect. Except for dead trees, they gradually decrease in size and are more scattered higher up the slope, and soon disappear altogether. As one continues up the river, groves of white spruce, Picea cana- densis, are seen more frequently, now on the west side, now on the east, every- where having the same character, though better developed and more extensive the farther south one goes. I had a good opportunity to observe the spruce growth and vegetation, so far as I could for the snow, in a creek valley on the east bank of the river a few miles below Sandstone rapids in the middle of Feb- ruary, 1915. I collected samples of the tundra plants I saw sticking up from the snow and secured the following, viz.: Calamagrostis sp., Poa sp., Salix anglorum, Saxifraga tricuspidata, Dryas integrifolia, Potentilla fruticosa, Lupinus nootkatensis, Rhododendron lapponicum, Kalmia polifolia, Cassiope tetragona, Arctostaphylos alpina, Vaccinium uliginosum, Saussurea angustifolia, besides lichens and mosses. Betula glandulosa was also observed.! The details about the spruce growth at this place will be found in a more popular article,? and are also discussed at length by Theo. Holm in Part B of this volume, pp. 86B-88B, figs. 1-3. It is therefore only necessary here to say that the trees grow almost exclusively upon the east bank of the river, and that the growth is much better, both as to the development of single trees and their extension, in spots protected from the northerly winds, than in more exposed places, while the character of the soil (tundra, shale cliffs, etc.) is of far less importance. The biggest trees I saw were up to 30 feet high and about 5 feet in circumference near the ground. Even small stunted trees proved, by counting the rings, to be about half a century old, while the largest ones may possibly reach an age of 500 years. A rich growth of lichens, of which samples were collected, were found on dead trees and on dead branches of living trees. Outside and among the present growth of living trees were found a number of dead trees or stumps, and many of the living trees of any size, especially those growing in a more open stand, were partly killed by forest insects. Very few young trees were seen and the appearance of the spruce growth as a whole, including both living and dead trees, was one of great antiquity, which was further proved by a close examination of each tree, small or large. Dr. Richard- son’ has already commented upon this and ascribes the present appearance of the woods, in particular the dead trees and stumps, to a deterioration of climate coupled with destructive fires. It remained however for us to prove that forest insects are very destructive to the spruce trees up north, and that a number of the trees had been killed or injured solely by these insects (bark-beetles, ceramby- cid-larvae), which were found in some of the trees to be as numerous as at lati- tudes much farther south.* A year later, Feb. 1916, R. M. Anderson collected a few twigs of poplar, Populus tremuloides. The trees were about 10 feet high and their trunks attained the thickness of a finger; they grew in patches among willows and spruce in a deep gully, protected by rock slopes, just above Escape rapid, and all but the upper twigs were hidden by snow at that season. 1 Hanbury, who passed by here in the summer, says in his book that, after reaching the first spruce trees, vegetation of kind was becoming more luxuriant. : ove. Johansen. The Forest’s Losing Fight in Arctic Canada, Canadian Forestry Journal, Vol. 15, Ottawa, 1919, pp. 303-05. 3 Arctic Searching Expedition, pp. 192, 416. 4 J. M. Swaine, Report Can. Arct. Exped., Vol. III, Part E, pp. 1-21, Plaves I-III. Ottawa, 1919. 75178 —4 50 ¢ Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1913-18 The occurrence of Populus tremuloides here, about Lat. 67-5°N., is inter- esting. The species has previously been observed on Hulahula river, Alaska, by Dr. Anderson! and in the delta of Mackenzie river. These three localities therefore indicate its approximate northern limit on this continent.? South Side of Coronation Gulf A few points concerning the vegetation in general has been given on the preceding pages under topography; and as I did not visit the region myself I can only give a list of the known flowering plants, compiled from the published records of plants collected. Apart from a small collection made by R. M. Anderson at the mouth of Kogaryuak river, 18 miles east of Coppermine river, June 18th, 1911, I only know, of more recent collections, Hanbury’s along this coast in 1902. Members of the Southern Party of the Canadian Arctic expe- dition secured, in 1914 to 1916, fairly representative collections of plants at certain points, viz.: Tree river, cape Barrow, outer part of Bathurst inlet, besides smaller collections at Grays bay and the inner part of Bathurst inlet. These collections were made by Messrs. J. J. O’Neil, J. R. Cox, and R. M. Ander- son. Hanbury’s plants were identified by R. A. Rolfe? and the locality is merely given as the Arctic coast from Ogden bay to Coppermine river. From Hanbury’s narrative! it appears, however, that coming from the east he first began collecting plants in June at Bathurst inlet, and we can therefore make use of his full list. Anderson’s plants from Kogaryuak river in 1911 were identified by P. A. Rydberg.® The vascular plants collected by the Southern Party of the Canadian Arctic expedition were identified by J. M. Macoun and Theo. Holm.* In the following list, species not secured by the Canadian Arctic expedition in the region in question are marked with an x. Vascular Plants* Dryopterts fragrans rx Woedsia glabella Equisetum arvense Lycopodium Selago Alopecurus alpinus Arctagrostis latifolia Poa hispidula Festuca rubra var. arenaria Bromus arcticus Agropyrum alaskanum Hordeum jubatum Elymus mollis Eriophorum Scheuchzeri Carex stans Carex vaginata Juncus Haenkti Salix anglorum x Saltx arctica Salix reticulata Salix fullertonensis !V. Stefansson, My Life with the Eskimos, New York, 1913, appendix, p. 444. 2 See also Vol. V, Pt. B, pp. 93-94. 3R.A. Hole, in D. T. Hanbury, Sport and Travel in the Noithland of Canada. London, 1904, pp. 276-77. 41.ce.p. 113. 5 P, A. Rydberg, in V. Stefansson, My Life with the Eskimos, New York, 1913, pp. 446-47. 6 J, M. Macoun and Theo. Holm, Report of the Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1913-18, Vol. V, Part A, Vascular Plants Ottawa, 1921, pp. 1-52 A. 7 As these plants have been identified by three different botanists, it is probable that some of them are the same, although listed under different names. This refers particularly to, e. g. Stellaria longipes, Caltha palustris, Lupinus noot- katensis, Oxytropis campestris, Armeria vulgaris, Matricaria inodora, Senccio palustris. j Coronation Gulf Vegetation 5le Rumex arcticus Oxyria digyna (O. reniformis) Silene acaulis Lychnis apetala Lychnis affinis x Stellaria longipes Stellaria longipes var. Edwardsii Cerastium alpinum Halianthus peploides (Arenaria peploides) x Arenaria Rossii x Caltha palustris Caltha palustris f. radicans Anemone Richardsonii Anemone parviflora Ranunculus Cymbalaria var. alpina Ranunculus lapponicus Ranunculus affinis Papaver nudicaule x Papaver alpinum Draba alpina Draba nivalis Draba hirta x Draba incana Hesperis Pallasii (Cheiranthus pygmaeus) Cardamine digitata Cardamine pratensis x Parrya arctica Erysimum inconspicuum x Erysimum lanceolatum Sazifraga cernua Saxifraga Hirculus Saxifraga aestivalis Saxifraga nivalis Saxifraga tricuspidata Saxifraga oppositifolra Dryas integrifolia Dryas integrifolia f. intermedia Potentilla fruticosa Potentilla nivea x Potentilla nivea var. x Potentilla biflora Potentilla emarginata x Lupinus arcticus x Lupinus nootkatensis Lupinus nootkatensis var. Kjellmanit Astragalus alpinus Astragalus aboriginorum x Astragalus sp. nova? x Oxytropis campestris Oxytropis campestris var. sordida Oxytropis foliolosa Oxytropis Roaldi x Oxytropis nigrescens Oxytropis arctobia Hedysarum Mackenzit Hedysarum alpinum var. americanum x Hedysarum boreale 75178—43 52¢ Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1913-18 Empetrum nigrum Epilobium latifolium Pyrola grandiflora x Pyrola rotundifolia Ledum palustre x Ledum palustre var. decumbens Rhododendron lapponicum Lotseleuria procumbens Kalmia polifolia Casstope tetragona x Andromeda polifolia Arctostaphylos alpina Vaccinium uliginosum f£. microphylla Primula stricta x Primula farinosa x Armeria vulgaris Statice Armeria f. sibtrica Pleurogyne rotata AMertensia maritima Castilleja pallida Pedicularis lapponica Pedicularis hirsuta Pedicularis sudetica Pedicularis arctica x Pedicularis lanata Pedicularis capitata Pinguicula vulgaris Campanula uniflora x Aster sibiricus Erigeron uniflorus Erigeron alpinus Achillea borealis x Matricaria inodora Matricaria inodora var. grandiflora Chrysanthemum integrifolium Artemisia vulgaris var. Tilesvi Petasites frigida Arnica alpina x Arnica montana var. angustifolia Senecio frigidus Senecio frigidus f. Shradert x Senecio palustris Senecio palustris var. congestus Senecio lugens Saussurea angustifolia x Taraxacum officinale Taraxacum ceratophorum Crepis nana According to O’Neill and Cox the dwarf birch, Betula glandulosa, is common both along Tree river and in Bathurst inlet; at the former place it attains a height of 3 feet. Willows (probably Salix Richardsonii) attain their maximum height, 10 feet, on Tree and Hood rivers. Of the flowering plants listed above, Hanbury’s were collected at the end of June and beginning of July, and Anderson’s in the middle of June. The collections made by the Southern Party of the Canadian Arctic expedition were made from the middle of June to the middle of July at Tree river, and in Coronation Gulf Vegetation 53 ¢ August and the beginning of September at Grays bay, cape Barrow and Bath- urst inlet. ; From Hanbury’s narrative we learn that in the middle of June, at Barry island, “one small flowering plant was already in blossom”’ and that ‘‘grass was observed to have begun growing at the roots.’”? Further, that on the east side of Bathurst inlet “there still was considerable snow in places, but it was melting fast, and the whole country was running with water.’ On June 20th, at the mouth of Bathurst inlet, “the grass was now rushing up” and “several flowering plants were already in blossom,’”’ and more than two weeks later, nearer the Coppermine river, “vegetation was very luxuriant, and the ground showed a profusion of blossom. The miniature rhododendron with its mass of red blossom,’ the white blossom of our old friend the 7-klu-ti, the heather which had served us for fuel for so many days on Arm-ark-tuk river, and a white anemone were the most conspicuous.”? On July 15th Lupinus nootkatensis was “still in flower.’ From the various data on hand we may conclude that the vegetation is at least a week earlier along the south coast of Coronation gulf and in Bathurst inlet than at Bernard harbour. This is of course due mainly to the more south- ern latitude, the difference being about one degree, but probably also to the fact that the climate is more steady and continental along the south shore of the gulf than in Dolphin and Union strait, and is not subjected to so many cold’ and stormy spells in May and June as at Bernard harbour. There is also every reason to believe that the subduing of the plant life in the fall comes later along this coast than at Bernard harbour. Islands in Coronation Gulf Apart from those close to the mainland south of Coronation gulf, the many: islands scattered over this body of water were not visited by members of the Canadian Arctic expedition, except in winter and spring, and then only a few of the hundreds. Their general character has been given by Collinson? and Stefansson.? They consist mainly of basalt, diabase, sometimes underlaid by dolomite, according to the geological formation of the nearest mainland, including Victoria island; their eastern and southern parts show higher, steep cliffs, while their northern and western parts slope down to the level of the sea. Owing to their exposed situation and geological make-up, the vegetation is generally poor, except for occasional gullies or pockets, stretches with gravel, and the surroundings of ponds. As, however, the vegetation of isolated islands is interesting always, mainly on account of the number of species not found upon them, I give herewith some information about the plants I observed on one of the three small islands belonging to the Duke of York archipelago and situated south of Lady Franklin point on Victoria island. I stayed two days there in the middle of March, 1916, at which time much snow covered the island, par- ticularly the lower parts. ; It is composed solely of dark basalt, which shows marked effects of glacia- tion upon its surface,’ with many and often big boulders scattered over it. The bedrock shows fairly high cliffs on the northern and eastern sides of the island or runs out in lower rocky points, where it does not slope gradually into the, sea as a smooth rock floor. On the south side there is a more extensive stretch of gravel beach which, by rising gently towards the north, intersects the island as a gravel slope until barred by higher cliffs. Here and there along the beach ° are small gravelly areas at the head of bights, and among the lower or higher cliffs are depressions, often with water accumulations or smaller gullies. 4:13 5 . p. 237. = 6 Ben Report of the Canadian Arctic Expeditioa, vol. III, Part Kk. Ottawa, Plate X, fig. 1. b4c Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1913-18 Compared with Liston and Sutton islands in Dolphin and Union strait which, being composed of limestone or dolomite, are subjected to far quicker erosion, this basalt island is extremely barren, a feature which is still further emphasized by the thorough glaciation it has suffered. Apart from certain plants which are capable of growing upon the bare rock and in crevices, the vegetation is limited to the more sheltered places where the soil is gravelly or wet. The following plants compose the whole vegetation upon the bare rock, or in erevices, viz.: different black or orange-coloured crust lichens, Silene acaulis, Saxifraga oppositifolia, The much more luxurious vegetation in places with more shelter and better soil was composed of the following plants, viz.: different lichens and mosses, Dupontia sp. and other grasses, Carex spp., Luzula sp., Salix anglorum, Polygonum viviparum, Silene acaulis, Saxifraga tricuspidata, S. oppositifolia, Dryas integrifolia, Empetrum nigrum, Epilobium latifolium, Cassiope tetragona, Arctostaphylos alpina, Vaccinium uliginosum, etc. Some of the above plants, viz.: grasses, Salix, and Dryas were also typical of the inter- mediate, drier soil. In its geology, vegetation, etc., this island may be considered typical for the many others of similar size and formation in this vicinity, though an examina- tion at a more favourable time of the year probably will reveal a few more species of plants in addition to those given above. WOLLASTON PENINSULA, VICTORIA ISLAND The western part of this peninsula has an appearance very similar to that of the mainland opposite, being of the same geological formation. From cape Baring to Simpson bay the coast is higher and rocky, but beyond is very low and consists mainly of gravel or sand with boulders and lagoons, while the bed- rock, limestone or dolomite, first crops out farther inland. East of Lady Frank- lin point the bedrock is a yellow sandstone, overlaid by limestone and, above, by basalt, from Richardson island to Murray point, so that both the former island and the coast opposite the sound show high and steep diabase cliffs. East of Murray point the land is very low, similar to the coast north of Lady Franklin point. Apart from Colville hills, a spur from the ‘“Museum range,”’ the interior of the peninsula is made up of lower plains of clay or gravel, with tundra and swamps surrounding lakes and ponds, the bedrock not being much in evidence. Two large rivers come out into Simpson bay, but none of any size south of it.! The ethnologist of the expedition, D. Jenness, spent the summer of 1915 in the interior of the northern part of the peninsula, and the following spring, March-April, I made a sled trip along the coast farther south from Forsyth bay to Murray point. Both Mr. Jenness and I collected plants, and in addition I made some observations about the vegetation along the part of the coast I visited. From the reports of Stefansson and Jenness, who crossed the Wollaston peninsula in spring, the latter spending the spring, summer and fall there, it appears that the spring or early summer comes from a week to a month later than upon the mainland coast south of it. Consequently the development of the plant life is later too, generally starting at the beginning of July, though short spells of warm weather in May and June may melt much of the snow and ice and bring forth some flowers on the earliest plants, for instance, Saxifraga oppositifolia, willows, etc. Subsequent spells of poor weather in the same months retard their development, however. During July and most of August the land is free of snow, but snow and frost come in the end of the latter month and, from the beginning of September on, the winter may be said to have set in, at least a week earlier than upon the mainland coast. 1 See Vol. III, Pt. K., Plate VI, fig. 2, and Vol. XII, Pt. A, pp. 24-27, of these reports. Victoria Island Vegetation 55 C The following is a list of the plants secured, to which are added the few collected by R. M. Anderson,! east of point Williams in July, 1911. Cystopteris fragilis Trisetum spicatum Poa abbreviata Poa arctica Festuca rubra var. arenaria Agropyrum alaskanum Elymus mollis Eriophorum angustifolium Carex rigida Carex compacta Luzula sp. Salix anglorum Salix reticulata Salix phlebophylla Salix Richardsonit Betula glandulosa Polygonum vivtparum Oxyria digyna Silene acaulis Lychnis apetala var. arctica Lychnis affinis Anemone parviflora Ranunculus affinis Papaver nudicaule Draba alpina Draba nivalis Braya purpurascens Braya alpina Parrya macrocarpa Saxifraga tricuspidata Sazxifraga oppositifolia Dryas integrifolia Potentilla pulchella Potentilla nivea Potentilla Vahliana Lupinus arcticus Astragalus alpinus Oxytropis campestris var. sordida Oxytropis Roaldt Hedysarum Mackenzii Epilobium latifolium Rhododendron lapponicum Cassiope tetragona Arctostaphylos alpina Vaccinium uliginosum Androsace Chamaejasme Statice Armeria f. sibirica Mertensia Drummondit Castilleja pallida Pedicularis lanata Pedicularis capitata Plantago lanceolata var. Aster sibiricus peewee 1p, A. Rydberg, in V. Stefansson, 1. v., p. 447. 56 c Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1913-18 Erigeron uniflorus Erigeron compositus Chrysanthemum integrifolium Artemisia hyperborea Arnica alpina Senecio palustris var. congestus Senecio lugens Taraxacum lyratum Crepis nana To the above plants should be added those collected by Dr. J. Rae on Wollaston land south of cape Baring and west of Long. 110°W., about seventy years ago. No spruce occurs upon Victoria island and the willows have the prostrate form usual in the Arctic, except in protected river beds and gullies where they attain the size of shrubbery and, very rarely, of small trees. The largest willow that Mr. Jenness saw was about 5 feet high, with a circumference of about 2 inches; it was growing at Kugaluk river near point Pullen, about two miles from the coast. I found a considerably bigger one, measuring about 8 feet in height and 10 inches in circumference at the ground. This tree, Salzx Richardsonit, was growing in the bed of a small creek near the coast (Rae’s ‘‘Mackenzie river’’) at about Long. 110°W. It is probably the biggest willow tree on Victoria island.? Concerning the topography and vegetation in general along the south side of Wollaston land, between long. 110° and 114°W., it appears that from Simpson bay south of Lady Franklin point the coast is of the same nature, with low gravel plains, tundra, etc., as on the mainland opposite and that the vegetation is the same as at Bernard harbour. Some plants were collected at the mouth of Kimiryuak river, Forsyth bay, and at the head of Austin bay. The coast from Lady Franklin point to Richardson island is composed of sandstone bedrock, gravel, and sand. The limestone overlying the sandstone is a mere fragment of formerly more extensive beds and only found at a few places, namely in the vicinity of ‘“Mackenzie river.’”’ But the sandstone is predominant, and at a few places form real cliffs (Rae’s ‘Hare Hills’’) though it is mostly present in the shape of flat beds. About half way between Miles island and point Ross is a reef composed entirely of this yellow, hard sand- stone, close to Victoria island. The only vegetation upon it was found to be green algae growing in cracks of a few big blocks of sandstone. It may there- fore be assumed that, though the reef rises to six feet above the water, the spray and sea-ice prevent the formation of vegetation. Some plants were collected on the tundra portage at the base of Ross point. In the western part of the bay between Ross point and Richardson island the sandstone predominates in the form of flat beds, reaching the sea as low cliffs or as a smooth sloping floor merging gradually into the sea bottom. Here and there it is covered with gravel, sand, or tundra, and the ‘““Mackenizie river’ has cut a bed, mostly wide, through it. Near its mouth the ‘river’ divides into a western and eastern branch of which the former is the most open; the high willows referred to above were therefore only found along the east branch. At the mouth of the latter is an isolated, lower, basalt outcrop, with a small island of the same kind of rock continuing it, while a remarkable square cliff formed by a basalt dyke intersecting sandstone and dolomite forms a distinct landmark a little inland between the two branches of the “river’’ outlet. From the top of this little cliff, and by going farther inland, one discovers that there is really no river at all but a system of creeks, swamps, and lakes, fed from inland and the surround- ing higher slopes, and the “river” bed, which is fairly well marked near the coast, divides up into open gullies. Judging from the width and depth of the bed in 1 See J. D. Hooker, On Some Collections of Arctic Plants, ete. Proc. Linn. Soc. Bot. Vol. 1, p. 124. 2 See Vol. V., Pt.'B., p. 18, photo. , Pete oe eee: seo an Victoria Island Vegetation 57 ¢ the lower part of the “river’’ it must, however, have carried considerably more water formerly, because at one place it has cut its way through hard sandstone beds or higher gravel slopes. When I visited it the mouth was almost barred by a sandy islet, with fairly good vegetation, and there was very little water in its bed, which was mostly filled with islets or stretches with gravel and boulders upon which willows were growing in profusion and attained considerable size. The vegetation at the mouth of this “river” is fairly good, particularly in the many swamps and tributary creeks. But often and over large patches, where the sandstone occurs as flat beds, the glaciated surface has no other vegetation than lichens. On the other hand the vegetation is good in the shelter of the low cliffs by which the sandstone sometimes reaches the coast. The landmark cliff mentioned above had no other vegetation than different mosses, algae, and lichens, growing upon its much eroded limestone. Besides lichens and mosses some plants were collected on the basalt outcrop at the mouth of the east branch of the river. Between the outlet of “Mackenzie River” and the sound separating Rich- ardson island from Victoria land there is a small, deep bay. The west side of this bay is made up of sandstone outcrops while on the east side the higher or lower basalt cliffs begin, which form the north side of the sound and compose the whole of Richardson island and the smaller intervening islands. This stretch of the coast of Victoria island has thus a much grander and more pictur- esque appearance than west and east of it, a fact already commented upon by Rae and Collinson. On Richardson island the cliffs attain their greatest height inland and fall off to the sea in the south precipitously, while towards the sound they have the form of slopes reaching the water as a smooth floor or as smaller, rounded outcrops with intervening bights, with the exception of a high cliff facing Murray point. The vegetation on this north side of Richardson island is surprisingly well developed, owing to the good protection afforded, not only upon the sandy soil at the head of bights and at the mouth of the various small creeks, but even on the patches of sand and gravel covering the glaciated rock floor. This good vegetation is found even to the top of the cliff on tundra slopes or in swamps, with grasses and Carex, Salix, Sazifraga, Dryas, Cassiope, Vaccinium, Pedicularis, as the dominating plants. The number of caribou, hares, ptarmigan, etc., observed in this sound also emphasizes the quality of vegetation present. Even where the cliff floor with its rock debris and scattered boulders is bare, vegetation is found in cracks; it seems to thrive even better on the decomposed basalt than on the more barren gravel of arine origin. es The indie in the sound between Richardson island and Victoria island show all forms of transition from flat rock-beds, only little above the level of the sea and much glaciated, to rounded, higher cliffs with precipitous sides, gentle slopes, and low jutting points. They are very similar in appearance to the islands in Coronation gulf and are composed of the same kind of rock but owing to their more sheltered location their vegetation is far better developed, par- ticularly in places where the rock surface is decomposed or covered with sand or gravel. One of them, half way up the sound, had a. particularly rich growth of lichens on the bedrock and boulders forming its higher part, and on another island, in the mouth of the sound, I collected a number of other plants sticking up from the snow. ; : ? The side of Victoria island facing the sound consists, as mentioned, also of basalt, and the cliffs there are for considerable stretches high and precipitous, with a slope of debris below, right to the water. The vegetation is therefore less developed than upon the Richardson island side. — The peninsula forming Murray point and closing the sound mentioned above towards the east, consists below of the same yellow brown sandstone as mentioned above, cropping out as flat beds at the level of the sea and overlaid by dolomite and basalt. The latter is by far the most predominant, composing 58 ¢ Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1918-18 most of the peninsula and particularly its higher parts. It rests either directly upon the sandstone or, where the dolomite yet remains, upon the latter, or intersects it as dikes, with the characteristic “burned” transformation of the rock in the zone of contact. Parts of the peninsula are, however, made up of marine deposits of more recent origin, in the form of gravel stretches with lagoons and swamps intersecting the cliffs and connecting them with the low, sandy tundra north, east, and west. The vegetation on the peninsula was found to be as well developed as over similar areas in the sound east of it, particularly on gravelly stretches, and in pockets in the shelter of basalt outcrops. Only at one place is there a free exposure of limestone resting on sandstone in the form of a small cliff subjected to much erosion. The following are characteristic plants composing the vegetation upon the side of this limestone cliff, viz.: ‘Lhe moss Barbula Johansenit, furthermore, Cystopteris fragilis, Draba sp., Sazxifraga tricuspidata, S. oppositifolia, Dryas integrifolia. Apart from these plants, some lichens, growing on basalt or limestone debris, were collected on a small island near Murray point. The islands near by are composed entirely of Jimestone, while farther out in Coronation gulf this is overlaid or replaced by basalt. The basalt also composes the islands forming the bridge between Richardson island and the Duke of York archipelago. That the coast of Victoria island east of Murray point is low and-composed of sand, gravel, sandstone, and limestone, has already been mentioned.! REMARKS ON BEDROCK VEGETATION From the description given of the vegetation occurring upon the bed rock outcrops or debris on the coast and islands from Young point in the west to Murray point and cape Barrow in the east it will be seen that, while there seem to be no plants limited to the diabase or characteristic of it, except perhaps certain lichens and Dryopteris:fragrans, the dolomite has about half a dozen characteristic plants besides algae, mosses, and lichens, and Cystopteris fragilis and Sazifraga cernua seem to be limited to it. On the bare diabase outcrops the vegetation is only found in crevices, with Silene acaulis and Dryopteris Jragrans as the most characteristic or only plants occurring. A list of plants characteristic of dolomite and diabase outcrops is:— Dolomite Diabase Algae Lichens Lichens Dryopteris fragrans Mosses Silene acaulis Draba sp. Saxifraga oppositifolia Cystopteris fragilis Saxifraga cernua Saxifraga tricuspidata Sazifraga oppositifolia Dryas integrifolia ® This comparative list, however, refers to solid rock only and not to pockets and similar places with a more decomposed soil; in the latter situations the vegetation is more varied, on diabase as well as on dolomite. Apart from lichens and algae, I could find no plants typical to the sandstone outcrops on Victoria island. : 1¥For the coast along the north side of Dease strait see T, Simpson: “Narrative of Discoveri America, 1836-39.” London, 1843, pp. 382-86. ‘ Pept os Mewth oepet ah Camden Bay Vegetation 59 c PLATE I Fig. 1. Low hummock on coastal tundra, Collinson point, Alaska, February 27, 1914. The strong winds prevent snow from gathering except in gullies or depressions. (Photo by F. Johansen) i ba alpina L., in clusters on grassy tundra at edge of Camden bay, Konganevik, Alaska, July 4, 1914. Big. 2, eens Screwed-up ice in back ground. (Photo by F. Johansen) Camden Bay Vegetation 6le PLATE II Fig. 1. Sand-dunes, Konganevik, Camden bay, Alaska, with Elymus mollis Trin. July 4, 1914. (Photo by F. Johansen) i ts, Collinson point, Alaska. Polemonium boreale Adams, Sazifraga decipiens Ehrh. var. ve ee (5 Lge., Papaver nudicaule L., Artemisia, ete. July 17, 1914. (Photo by F. Johansen) Collinson Point and Herschel Island 638¢c PLATE III Fig. 1. Astragalus alpinus L., in bloom at Collinson point, Alaska, July 17, 1914. (Photo by F. Johansen) SOE Fig. 2. Low hillside, Herschel Island, Yukon Territory. Sazifraga tricuspidata Rottb., Selinum cnidiifolium Turez., Bupleurum americanum C, et R. July 29, 1916. (Photo by F. Johansen) Herschel Island Vegetation 65 PLATE IV Fig. 1. Valley, Herschel island. Lagotis glauca Gaertn, var. Stelleri Cham. et Schl., Parrya macrocarpa R. Br., Phaca frigida L., and Pedicularis capitata Adams, in bloom. July 29, 1916. (Photo by F. Johansen) Fig. 2. Hillside, Herschel island. Erigeron grandiflorus Hook., Selinum cnidiifolium Turcz., Myosotis silvatica Hoffm., Senecio frigidus Less., in bloom. July 29, 1916. (Photo by F. Johansen) Herschel Island Vegetation 67¢ PLATE V Fig. 1. Bluff, Herschel island, with Polygonum Bistorta L., Artemisia comata Rydb., etc.,in bloom. July 29, 1916 (Photo by F. Johansen) : , Fig. 2. Sheltered slope, Herschel island, with Lupinus nootkatensis Don var. Kjellmanu Ostf., Myosotis silvatica Hoffm., Castilleja pallida (L.) Kunth., Dryas integrifolia M. Vahl, Artemisia, ete July 29, 1916. (Photo by F. Johansen) Herschel Island Vegetation 69¢c PLATE VI Fig. 1. Herschel island, August 4, 1916. Clump of daisies, Matricaria inodora L di, See Go Willies odora L. var. grandiflora (Hook.) Ostf. Fig. 2. Herschel island, July 29, 1916. Achillea borealis Bong. with Artemisia vulgaris L. var. Tilesii Ledeb., Myosotis silvatica Hoffm., Ranunculus afinis R. Br. (Photo by F. Johansen) Bernard Harbour Vegetation 71c PLATE VII Fig. 1. Sandy “lope at Bernard harbour, Dolo and Union strait, Northwest Territories. Hedysarum Mackenzii Richards., Dryas integrifolia M. Vahl. August 4, 1915, (Photo by F. Johansen) Fig. 2. Sandy slope, Bernard harbour, July 19, 1915. Staminate flowers of Salix anglorum Cham, (Photo by F. Johansen) Bernard Harbour Vegetation 73.¢ PLATE VIII Fig. 1. Sandy slope, Bernard harbour, August 4,1915. Pillows of Silene acaulis L., with Dryas integrifolia M. Vahl. (Photo by F. Johansen) ig. 2. illside, B: d harbour, July 15, 1915. White heather, Cassiope tetragona (L.) Don, with Rhododendron ean Wahlenb., ‘Dinas inteprifotia M. Vahl, and Pedicularis capitata Adams. (Photo by F. Johansen) Bernard Harbour Vegetation 75 Cc PLATE IX Fig. 1. Buttercup, Ranunculus affinis R. Br., in bloom on hillside. Bernard harbour, July 3, 1916. (Photo by R. M. Anderson) ig. 2. integrifolia M.. Vahl, in bloom on dry hillside. Bernard harbour, July 3, 1916. Fig. 2. Dryas integrifolia al tes oi WE Anderson Coastal Island Vegetation 77¢ PLATE X Fig. 1. Cerastium alpinum L., growing by nest of Pacific eider, near Cockburn point, Northwest Territories, July 15, 1916. (Photo by R. M. Anderson) ig. 2. Fl buds of Senecio palustris (L.) Hook. var. congestus (DC.) Hook., growing in wet spot on small stony a ‘laid, Fider-duck rookery off Cockburn point, July 15, 1916. (Photo by R. M. Anderson) 79c al o Ss oO Soujowoyjryy fs —=—= me] of or °o Ss or SOW SPIWI9102 YOU! 40 092 ‘E10 ‘S1E9S AGOLMYALL NOMA LO LSVOO JILLOAV Ov! ve y ayo7 ysir \ \. ne we 1 aseqr0g ag i , x we SN NC coe oe, , ae SAG? he oe he BEN 5 H FS b t g 694 <: om 3 ! Ls i> | 1g : = J ae i * = iat J ae ee oO: yurog Sey zie . 3 TEN AW WOK W pana? =H al 3! SI Ke | "OD BH awoa { puis j [eqosuep } eo oe »8E! 26E! 20+! “161 Report of the Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1913-18. VOLUME VIII: MOLLUSKS, ECHINODERMS, COELENTERATES, ETC. Part A: MOLLUSKS, RECENT AND PLEISTOCENE. By William H. Dall. I. d Sept 24, 1919 Part B: CEPHALOPODA AND PEEROPODA.. ee ember cae Cephalopoda. By WPS aa —_:Pteropoda. By W.F. Clapp...:......c.cceceececescevecee sesiate auoteinreneateas (In preparation). Part Cc: ECHINODERMS. ‘By ene ied ‘Clarie Sehceie i coraeess spnnchoaretice .eeees. Issued: April 6, 1920). ‘Part D: BRYOZOA. By R.C. Oebamass: pl agbantene a ialesaretieata oa nent, ere (Issued February 20, 1923). Part E: ROTATORIA. By H. K. Harring............. bAueouieeivasnns «(Issued December 81, 1921). Part F: CHAETOGNATHA. ‘By A. G. Huntsman....... Sb vsctie at Pele a Beilasn aieinieraciacseaie (In ‘preparation). Part G: ALCYONARIA AND ACTINARIA. By A. E. Verrill,. vigiedinaiats anaes “(Issued April 28, 1922). Part H: MEDUSAE AND CTENOPHORA. By H. B. iceman eee .. (Issued June 30, 1920) Part a HYDROIDS. By C. McLean. Fraser.........cccesecesscccceececs * Ussued August, 24, 1928) Part J : PORIFERA. By A. Dendy...ccsscescccsceccoes a Saosin saahare tae oe ak iavenaaysed : (In press) ~ VOLUME IX: ANNELIDS, PARASITIC WORMS, PROTOZOANS, ETC. Part A: OLIGOCHAETA. ‘ 2 Lumbriculide. _By Frank Smith. Enchytralidw. By Paul S. Welch.......... sora oiacapistiaysiolsjaic ahsioaieliey (Issued September 29, 1919) Part B: POLYCHAETA. | By Ralph V. Chamberlin jatatats Tp winitieeenn |. (Issued November 16, 1920). Part C: HIRUDINEA. By J.P. Moore............... oPaamats a esuacaresas . (Issued February He 1921). Part D: GEPHYREA. By Ralph V. Chamberlin....... Saernie asain erence «.... (Issued June 10, 1920). ~ Part E: ACANTHOCEPHALA. - By H. J. Van Cleavesiccassaewesewsle ts aed April 7, 1920), Part F: NEMATODA. By N. A. Cobb. ..i. ccc ccc ccc cee nec e ween eons Usseqeisee ciel Sanu (In preparation). Part G-H: TREMATODA AND CESTODA. By A. R. Cooper... azira Sie vous (Issued February 4, 1921). - Part I: TURBELLARIA. By A. Hassell. ........0----seeeedeneees ie scares volatile alsvats ioe (In preparation). Part J: OLIGOCHAETA (Supplementary): By J. H. Ashworth tied aslenaneerbiledate ved (In press). Part K: NEMERTINI. ‘By Ralph V. Chamberlin...........6... sanecas aiatice arareareraTe (In ibd dae neh Part L: SPOROZOA. ByJ. W. Mavor carsunssienia aif arapatsie oie slbia cau ialav co aioee eras varags wp veeteractct (In preparation Part M: FORAMINIFERA, By J. A. Cushman.........seeeeceeeeneeee ences (Issued February 6, 1920). VOLUME X: PLANKTON, HYDROGRAPHY, “TIDES, ETC. Part C: TIDAL OBSERVATIONS AND RESULTS. By Ww. Bell Dawson. . (Issued October 1, 1920). Part D: HYDROGRAPHY sated