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or gulf, between East Greenland and Spitzbergen; and "Svalbard," some place or other in the northern tracts of the East coast of Greenland; perhaps at Scoresby's Sound, perhaps somewhat farther North. In regard to the first of the Jökels mentioned in the Gripla, I dare not hazard a conjecture; but the second I take to be Spitzbergen, for the distance between the northernmost extremity of this island and Snefieldsjökel is 800 miles, or fourteen days' journey, exactly as is stated in the Gripla.

As the old Chorographies that have come down to us are exceedingly deficient*, I consider it, for the rest, an unprofitable labour try to fix the site of every firth, or church. To arrive at any satisfactory results on that head, our surest guides are the remarkable remains at Tunnudliorbik, Igaliko, and Agluitsok, for at one or other of these spots, Gardar, or Foss, probably one and the same place,) is, in all likelihood, to be sought. Here dwelt the bishops, the chief public functionaries, and perhaps many other personages whose names have come down to us in history; and here divers of them, doubtless, have been consigned to earth. A careful and minute examination of these ruins, therefore, is greatly to be desired; for until they speak to us in a voice not to be misunderstood, it is in vain to hope that men will relinquish opinions long cherished, and which form, as it were, a part and parcel of their very being. Nor will this consummation, it is hoped, be long deferred. The Royal Society of Northern Antiquaries having now turned its attention to the subject, the most interesting and important results may be, ere long, expected; results which, I am satisfied, will at length remove all doubt, and substantiate, incontestably, the fact asserted first by Eggers, that the East Bygd is the district of Juliana's-hope, and that the East coast of Greenland has never been inhabited by a colony of Europeans.

* The most voluminous of them is Ivar Bardsen's; but it is scarcely to be called the most authentic; for Bardsen assigns but eight churches to the East Bygd, whereas the Gripla mentions twelve, the names of all of which are given in the Flatey MS. That Ivar Bardsen, as lay-superintendent of the diocese, must have been well acquainted with the affairs of the church in Greenland, is clear: but, from his account of "Himinraki," and "Ellum-leingri," and the phrase, "they say," or "it is said," so frequently occurring in his work, it is very evident that, as to other matters, he was less well informed. He observes, for instance, immediately after making mention of Erik's Firth,-"now, it is said, the course lies to the island further West." The meaning of this expression is, I should suppose, that he who, from Erik's Firth, purposed going further West, e. g., to the West Bygd, must shape a course to the islands," that is to say, take the shortest route among the islands, instead of following the course of the mainland, which, North and West of Erik's Firth, appears to have been thinly peopled. This observation, meanwhile, seems to confirm Eggers' conjecture respecting the identity of Erik's Firth and Tunnudliorbik; for, in going from thence to Arsut, or Frederick's-hope, the course does lie among the islands all the way West to Nunarsoit.

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+ This Society is on the point of publishing a work, to be entitled "The Historical Monuments of Greenland," comprising all the old accounts extant concerning Greenland, the history of the Icelandic colonies there planted, the voyages of discovery from thence to America, in the tenth and eleventh centuries, etc. Many of the MSS. intended to be included in it, have never yet been published, others have been, some of these even oftener than once (there have been, for example, three editions already printed of the Landnama-book), but most of them incorrectly. Much valuable information, that has hitherto been a dead letter to the literary world, will, it is confidently expected, by this work be brought to light.

177

No. II.

BOTANY AND ZOOLOGY.

A.-PLANTS.

DURING my stay on the East coast, I collected a number of plants, some of which I preserved and brought home with me. Our distinguished countryman, Professor Hornemann, has since been kind enough to classify them, as follows:

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Epilobium origanifolium, L., high up among the cliffs.

latifolium, L.

angustifolium, L., var. denticulata*.

Erica cærulea, Willdenow.

Vaccinium uliginosum, Lt.

Saxifraga stellaris, L.

Cerastium alpinum, L.

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Potentilla nivea, L., varietas. Perhaps a new species; the under

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Gnaphalium alpinum, L., high up among the cliffs.

sylvaticum, L., var. furcata, Wahlenb., high up among the

cliffs.

Betula nana, L., high up among the cliffs.

Carex, sp. without flower.

Salix glauca, L.

herbacea, L.

Equisetum arvense,

L.

Aspidium fragile, Swarts.

Lycopodium alpinum, IL.

Less than on the West coast.

The leaves larger than on the West coast.

Has not yet been found on the West coast.

§ On the West coast, of from one to three inches length.

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I HAVE given the Greenland names of these as communicated by natives, and added the scientific synonymes from O. Fabricius's Fauna Grænlandica. For the more modern (those in brackets) I am indebted to Professor Reinhardt.

MAMMALIA:

Ursus maritimus, white bear; Nennok.

Canis familiaris, dog; Kemmek.

Canis lagopus, arctic, or white fox; Terienniak.

Phoca vitulina, common seal; Kassigiak.

hispida, rough seal; Neitsek.

Grænlandica, black-sided, or harp-seal, saddle-back; Atak. barbata, bearded seal; Uksuk.

cristata, hooded seal; Neitsersoak.

Trichechus rosmarus, walrus; Auvek.

Delphinus albicans, white whale, or beluga; Kelelluak.

BIRDS:

Falco islandicus, Iceland falcon; Kirksoviarsuk.

Vultur (Aquila) albicilla, cinereous eagle; Nektoralik.

Strix nyctea, snowy owl; Opik.

Emberiza nivalis, snow bunting; Koparnauarsuk.

Corvus corax, raven; Tullugak.

Tetrao lagopus, ptarmigan; Akeiksek.

*Not yet found on the West coast. The flower and fruit are, as in many Greenland plants, large in proportion to the stalk and leaves.

+ Larger than on the West coast.

Colymbus (Mergus) glacialis, great northern diver; Tudlik.
septentrionalis, red-throated diver; Karksauk.

Uria (Columbus) grylle, doveky, or black guillemot; Serbak.
Alca pica (Uria Brünichii), Brunnich's guillemot (Loom); Akpa.
(Uria) alle, little auk, or roach; Akpalliarsuk.

Procellaria glacialis, fulmar petrel, or mallemuk; Kakordluk.
Larus glaucus, glaucous gull, or burgomaster; Naia.

tridactylus, Kittiwake gull; Tattaruk.

Cataracta parasitica (Lestris parasiticus), arctic jager; Isingak.
Sterna hirundo (arctica), common tern, or sea-swallow; Imerkoteilak
Pelicanus carbo (Carbo cormoranus), cormorant; Okaitsok.

Anas (Anser) bernicla, brent goose; Nerdlek.

hiemalis (glacialis) Clangula glacialis, Northern garrot, or longtailed duck; Aglek.

histrionica, harlequin-duck; Tornaviarsuk.

mollissima, eider-duck; Mittek, Avok.
spectabilis, king-duck; Kingalik.

Besides which, I found the following-perhaps new contributions to the Greenland Fauna:

Cygnus musicus (Bechstein), swan. Two of these, probably a male

FISH:

and female, were seen by me in the spring of 1830, near Cape Farewell, and one of them shot. The skin I brought to Denmark, where it is still preserved in the Royal Museum. The natives could not tell me the name of them in their language, whence I conclude that they are rare in Greenland. Aualortalik; a specimen likewise in the Museum. Akterkok; a rare aquatic bird, resembling an eiderduck. One of them was caught near the iceblink of Colberger Heide.

Avok.

An Albino eider-duck.

But one seen at the

Kitsiksut Islands, off Nunarsoit. The skin brought home, and in the Museum.

Cottus Gobio (tricuspis, Mus. Reg.), river bull-head; Kaniok.
Perca Norvegica (Sebastes Norvegicus, Cuv.), Norwegian perch; Sul-

lupaugak.

Salmo (carpio a. alpinus), red char; Ekalluk.

arcticus (Mallotus arcticus, Cuv.), capelin of the Newfoundland fishery; Angmaksak.

Gadus callarias, torsk; Saraudlit.

barbatus, pout; Ogak.

Pleuronectes cynoglossus (Hippoglossus pinguis), halibut; Kalleraglik.
Squalus carcharias (Scymnus borealis, Scoresby), Greenland Shark;
Ekallurksoak.

The above I have myself seen during my sojourn on the East coast. Those that follow I mention on the authority of the natives, and by their Greenland names:

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