705 



brown, Ihe vegetation was scattered, and with the exception of some 

 faded fragments of the Bangia, it did not reach l)eyond high water 

 mark. It was moreover most instructive to notice the difference 

 between the httoral algæ-vegetation of coasts facing the North or 

 facing the South. On exposed shores of the former piaces a rather 

 luxuriant algæ-vegetation grew, not only littorally, but even above 

 the highest water mark, whereas the latter piaces were almost de- 

 stitute of algæ. I have not met with a similar difference on the 

 coasts of the Færoes. 



2. Nature of the Coast. 



The Færoese coast is particularly favourable to algal vegeta- 

 tion. We meet with more or less broken clif!s everywhere on the 

 open shore, especially on the northern and western sides of the is- 

 lands. The rocks are of basalt and similar readily crumbling ma- 

 terials, which the wearing of the sea and weather make very un- 

 even, thereby offering a very good hold for the algæ. 



Sometimes the walls of the cliff descend almost vertically to 

 considerable depths, sometimes they slope down gently and evenly, 

 allowing the surf to wash up the slope constantly. Or long stretches 

 of the coast, as at Myggenæs, on the western side of Sydero and 

 the northern sides of Stromo and Vaago, are wild and rugged, with 

 numerous large and small rocks shelving into the sea and with 

 masses of fallen rocks piled on one another; in this way the most 

 varying habitats are produced, from the much exposed to those 

 relatively sheltered behind the sea cliffs; the beach too offers many 

 different degrees of light to the algæ, daylight sometimes coming 

 straight down on the algæ, at other times obscured by overhanging 

 or fallen rocks. Finally there are many ravines and caves along 

 the coasts, where even sublittoral algæ, occurring elsewhere only in 

 deep water, find suitable light at the very surface of the water. 



At the foot of these almost vertical rocks there is often an al- 

 most horizontal or but slightly sloping foreshore, which is some- 

 times very broad, and more or less covered at high tide, but per- 

 fectly dry at ebb-tide. In such piaces a very luxuriant algal 

 vegetation is often found, and on account of the sometimes very 

 slight slope, the different algæ can spread widely in a horizontal 

 direction, whilst those on vertical rocks are often reduced to a 

 minimum , as many species only occur within a very limited regi- 



