804 



of the cold-boreal algæ. It is certainly very probable that the 

 greatest resemblance will be foiind to exist between the F'æroese 

 algæ -flora and that of South -West Iceland, more specially with 

 that ol" South Iceland, as the numbers of the table above tend to 

 show, but until the Shetland Isles have been more thoroughly in- 

 vestigated nothing can be said with certainty. 



3. Floristic Differences in the Marine Algæ-Flora of the Færoes. 



It is evident that no great floristic difTerences can be met with 

 within a terrilory so small as the Færoes, which in their greatest extent 

 from north to south only extend over a little more than one latitude, 

 and where the hydrographic conditions are so very uniform. 



Thus the vegetation is in similar localities everywhere almost 

 perfectly homogenous in its composition, and it is onlj'^ on closer 

 observation that a few disagreements between the northern and 

 southern parts of the islands become discernible. These disagree- 

 ments are probably caused by the East-Icelandic Polar current 

 which is naturally of great influence on the north coast of the 

 islands. Nevertheless, the Polar current has at the Færoes already, 

 partly been heated by mixture with water from the Atlantic Ocean, 

 partly become more saline, to such a degree, that, according to 

 Ostenfeld (65, p. 610) no arctic plankton has been found at the 

 Færoes; on account of this, the influence of the Icelandic Polar 

 current must likewise be supposed to be relatively small on the 

 fixed algæ vegetation. 



According to the division made by Jonsson and myself, no 

 arctic species are to be found at the Færoes, as already mentioned. 

 Among the subarctic species there is one, however, belonging to 

 the coldest division of this group, which is somewhat more in- 

 teresting; it is Halosaccion ramentaceiim a circumpolar species 

 vei-y common in the Polar Sea. It is usually found on the south 

 and west coasts of Iceland, is frequent at the northern coasts of 

 Norway, but does not grow south of Nordland where it has only 

 been found at a few piaces. At the Færoes, where the southern 

 limit of this alga is most likely found, a supposition already men- 

 tioned by Rostrup (72, p. 16), it has been found at 3 piaces; 

 namely, in addition to the well-known habitat in Klaksvig, also 

 at »Havnen« on the west coast of Svino, and in Vestmanhavn. 

 Thus the two habitats are found on the Nordreoer, which likewise 

 shelter most of the arctic inland piants, the third on Nordstromo. 



