956 



Il may be of interest lo review Ihe occurrence of Ihis planl- 

 associalion, Ihe grass-moor, in olher coiinlries. Several of Ihe Eng- 

 lish and Scotlish aulhors (see p. 935) deal wilh similar associa- 

 tions which occur in Ihe subalpine region in Norlhern England 

 and Scotland. Jonsson describes (1900, p. 67) in Iceland a »Nar- 

 dus-Li« (Nardus-slope) which evidenlly in many respecls bears a 

 resemblance to Ihe Færoese Nardus facies, and my own observations 

 in Northwest-Iceland include a similar association with Nardiis as 

 dominant species (Ostenfeld 1905, p. 118). In the west of Jul- 

 land Ihere is a similar association (Warming, 1897 b, p. 106; 

 1902, p. 72; Borgesen and Jensen 1904). I Ihink, however, thai 

 in few olher piaces is it so widely dislributed as on the Færoes, 

 and the reason is most probably to be found in the insular climale 

 and the abundant moislure in the soil and the air at all seasons. 



h. The heather-moor formation (moist Calluna heath). 



A gradual transition may be traced from the grass-moor lo the 

 heather-moor. This occurs where the humous substratum becomes 

 still less moist, as is generally the case on slopes exposed towards 

 the south or west in the lower region, as already stated. Nowhere on 

 the Færoes have we found large areas of the true heath, so familiar 

 in regions nearer home, with Calluna and Erica tetralix almost 

 supreme, with hardly any grass-like piants, and relieved only by 

 a few other flowering species. Nor do we meet with the arctic and 

 subarctic heath, so important in Iceland, Greenland, etc. and cha- 

 racterised by its variegated aspect due to the numerous species of 

 dwarf-shrubs (chiefly Ericineæ). The appearance of the Færoese 

 heath-formation is not so characteristic as that of a true Calluna 

 heath. The ericaceous shrubs are not so dominant, and as a rule 

 they flower sparingly, partly on account of grazing sheep. If we 

 add that »flowering« and »grass-like« piants are numerous among 

 the heathers, then it wåll be evident that the Færoese heath has 

 not the sombre hue of a true heath. 



The Færoese heath is no doubt most nearly related to the 

 heath on the west coast of Norway, but unfortunately there are no 

 ecological descriptions of this heath. Some idea of its character 

 may be formed from descriptions given in the papers by O. Dahl, 

 dealing wåth floristic investigations in Sondmore, Romsdal, Nord- 



