H. Kiær. — Om Dyrelivet i Balstjordcii. 49 



Summary. 



In the course of three years I had the opi)ortuuity 

 occasionally of making marine investigations about Tromsøe 

 in northern Norway. The apparatus used consisted of 

 the ordinary naturahsts dredges and a little shrimp trawl. 

 From a Norwegian tishiug boat I dredged at various 

 depths in the Balsfjord, the Tromsøsound, tlic Kvalsound 

 and between Risø and Lyngø. 



(1). The littoral zone. 



That part of the bottom, which is laid bare at low 

 water, is in Norwegian called »fjæren«. In northern Nor- 

 way rise and fall of tide amounts to (î, 10 feet or more. 

 At low water I have collected many specimens on fucus 

 laminarians and stones^ On the lower part of the stones 

 an abundance of crustaceans and other living things of 

 the most varied colours and appearance may be found. 



(2). The shallow sea margin. 



Tlie animal life on the shallow sea margin is very 

 little diversiiied in the fjords about Tromsoe. The bottom 

 beneath the shallow water generally consists of sand and 

 shells and fragments of stonalgaes and shells with multi- 

 tudes of large seaurchins. The shore is sandy or stony 

 and very narrow, only in the interior of the fjords there 

 are more extensive bays and beaches with sand and niud 

 and undulating helds of zostera. On stony bottom, espe- 

 cially between the islands of the open sea, the seaweed 

 grows like foi'ests, while shoals of swimming animals dis- 

 port themselves abovo and among these thickets. 



