894 



off. On wading lo Ihe isle, I could see that it was covered by a 

 vegetation, consisting maiiily of the same Eriophorum, Liiziila sil- 

 vatica and Cnrex binernis, all the piants with an average height of 

 75 ctm. Indeed, one wonders liow the Fæiocse vegetation would 

 look if there were no sheep ! 



The inflnence of the sheep is more perceptible on the vegeta- 

 tion of lower levels, less so in the mountains, where only a sparse 

 vegetation occurs (the rock-flat formation and the Grimmia-heath). 



Cows, horses and geese, the other domesticated animals on the 

 Færoes, are of much less importance, as they are fewer in number, 

 and, so far as the cattle are concerned, they obtain their food partly 

 from the enclosures. 



I believe one may say without exaggeration, that the character 

 and featnres of the vegetation outside the enclosures 

 in the lower zones o f the Færoes are in a h i g h d e g r e e 

 due to the grazing of sheep. 



c. Birds. The cliffs of the Færoes are well known as the 

 nesting piaces of thousands of sea-birds, — Guillemots (Urin grylle 

 and U. troile), Puffins (Fraterciila arctica), Gulls (Lams tridactijhis, 

 etc.^, Fulmar-Petrels (Fulmarm glacialis) and Cormorants (Phalacro- 

 corax). As a natural result, the vegetation on these cliffs has a 

 character of its own. The bird-manure containing a large propor- 

 tion of nitrogenous matter (uric acid, etc.) furnishes, more or less 

 directly, good nutriment for the piants. The sea-fowl cliffs can 

 almosl always be distinguished, even from a distance, by the vege- 

 tation, which consists of tall, vigorous piants. 



Some piants, such as »Kvan« (Archangelica officinalis), are nearly 

 only to be found growing wild on the sea-fowl cliffs, and others 

 occur there in specially luxuriant forms. 



On the other hånd a number of piants, especially mosses, are 

 entirely cleared out by the activity and the excrements of the birds. 

 During an excursion to Nolso in August 1897 I had occasion to 

 observe the vegetation on a large talus of débris (Ur) situated on 

 the east side. Here the puffins (»Lunder«) nested at some piaces, 

 but not at others, and there was a very noticeable difference 

 in the appearance and composition of the vegetation. Piaces fre- 

 quented by the puffins were dominated by a luxuriant blue-green 

 form of Festuca riibra (»I^undasina»); and on one of the smaller 

 patches only 8 phanerogams and 7 mosses were noted. Much 

 richer however was the vegetation on the parts of the »Ur« not 



