THE BRYOPHYTA OF ICELAND 577 



C. coles., Haplozia sphærocarpa, H. creniilata, Alicularia scalaris and 

 Scapania irrigua. 



At Englandshverir, some small hot springs which rise in 

 Lundurreykjadalur, there was only opportunity for quite a short 

 stay on the journey past. Here, on the warm ground along the 

 outlet of the springs the foUowing species were ohserved: Sphag- 

 num feres, Hypniim imponens, Catharinea undukita, Fissidens os- 

 mundoides, Enthostodon ericetonim, Catoscopium nigritum, Archidiuni 

 phascoides, Aneura i)inguis, Pellia Neesiana and Fossombronia Du- 

 mortieri. 



The Hot Springs near Reykir. In the south-western part of 

 Iceland, around the farms Reykir and Reykirfoss, about 45 kilo- 

 metres south-east of Reykjavik, there is a very large group of hot 

 springs which stretches towards the north and north-west, through 

 the Valleys, right up upon Hengill to a height of 400 — 500 metres 

 above sea-level. To this group must also be reckoned the hot springs 

 near Kolvidarhol and on Hellisheidi. The majority of the springs 

 are situated around the farm Reykirfoss, and north of the latter, 

 on both sides of the river from a height of about 50 to 90 metres 

 above sea-level; most of them are in the neighbourhood of the river, 

 and are in part situated directly upon the banks of the latter, several, 

 however, lie upon the slope of Reykjafjall, up to about 100 metres 

 above sea-level. Where the naked basalt does not protrude. the 

 ground around the springs consists of greyish-white siliceous sinter 

 almost bare of vegetation, and large tracts of it are warm and, so 

 to speak, perforated like a sieve with numerous hot springs of all 

 possible sizes. These appear in the form of (1) steaming holes 

 (fumaroles) which range in size from quite fine pores to rather large 

 tunnels, (2) fountains (geysirs) which at short intervals eject boiling 

 water ranging from quite a slender jet one foot in height to mighty 

 columns of roaring water from 10 to 15 feet in height (Little Geysir), 

 (3) mud-pools \vith bubbling, bluish-grey mud which is often ejected 

 to a distance far beyond the surroundings of the pool, and (4) 

 boiling basins or cauldrons which may measure 6 — 8 metres in 

 diameter, and either have a quiet surface or boil up at short inter- 

 vals, so that the water partially flows over the edge of the basin. 

 The steam is everywhere impregnated with sulphuretted hydrogen, 

 with the result that the vegetation is very poor and homogeneous. 

 The luxuriant .Sjo/ja^/nz/n-vegetation known from the alkaline springs 

 does not occur near these springs. Around these steaming holes. 



