Title: The American Museum journal
Identifier: americanmuseumjo18amer (find matches)
Year: c1900-(1918) (c190s)
Authors: American Museum of Natural History
Subjects: Natural history
Publisher: New York : American Museum of Natural History
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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Photoi/raph by Morten P. PorsUd The Danish Arctic Station, Disco Island, West Greenland, seen across a backwater lagoon. — The flagstaff in the middle distance is planted on gneiss; the wall behind is of basaltic tufa ("Osterli") with rich vegetation; in the far background at the right may be seen the top of the Skarvefjeld, 3200 feet elevation. Herr PorsiWs laboratories are in the right wing of the building, the living rooms oc- cupying the left wing and photographic material; and nearly all the instruments that a field scientist requires. A powerful motor boat, "Clio Borealis," properly arranged and equipped for dredging as well as for travel, is connected with the station. Eunning water from the warm springs supplies the whole station nearly all the year. The liljrary contains thousands of volumes, needless to state nearly all of scientific character. Herr Porsild's friends and acquaintances are legion, and through them he has acquired large numbers of standard works in science, including periodicals, from all parts of the world. By no means exhaustive or complete, his is nevertheless a very good working library. Herr Porsild, himself, is peculiarly well fitted, both by temperament and training, to direct the activities of the station. He is a powerfully built man, six feet tall, and broad in proportion. sturdy and healthy as the Viking stock from which he sjDrings. Even though he is forty-five years old, he can tramp all day with a pack over his shoulder, up and down the steep, rough slopes of Disco. He has become an expert dog driver, and throughout the sledging season is out in all kinds of weather and in all kinds of ice conditions, thinking nothing of the hardshi2:)s or the hazards of the trail. Under Arctic conditions such as those that surround him, most men pos- sessed of good nature, cheerful philos- ophy, and genial sense of humor would lose them in a few years, but he has re- tained all. Throughout the year he is either out of doors busily engaged in investigation and research, or in his library, herbarium, or laboratory, study- ing or developing the results of his out- door activities, and it would be hard to find anywhere a man more happy and content in liis work and station than

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