Clare Island Survey — Marine Algae. 16 5 



plants, a few days were set apart in August, 1911, to search for note- 

 worthy absentees. Rough weather, however, set in, and dredging from a 

 small boat was out of the question. 



With regard to the nature of the field-work, the visits of the first year 

 were mainly devoted to the listing of species from all parts of the area, and 

 to working out critical forms. The same study was continued in 1910, and 

 the analysis of algal communities was also taken in hand. The third year 

 was principally devoted to the search for species which were to be expected 

 but had not been found, and to the completion of the work on algal 

 communities. On each visit, moreover, a large amount of material was 

 collected for the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, as some extra leave had been 

 granted for that purpose. 



The time devoted to ecology necessarily robbed the systematic list of a 

 certain number of names. Searching for rare or microscopic species 

 invariably yields results in the way of new or little-known plants, but the 

 records of minute species, such as Cyanophyceae, are not yet of much value 

 for comparative purposes. Moreover, the amount of time and labour spent 

 in working out microscopic forms is often very great, and out of proportion 

 to the results obtained. Unfortunately there was no specialist for the 

 Cyanophyceae (which are abundant in brackish parts of Clew Bay) who could 

 be appealed to for aid. 



The list, therefore, can hardly be considered as exhaustive. With regard 

 to the littoral flora, the island-list must be fairly complete ; and on the main- 

 land the additions during the last trip were chiefly microscopic forms. But 

 in the sub-littoral region there are probably many species yet to be discovered, 

 as the vegetation is very local and less easy of exploration. The fact that 

 such conspicuous weeds as Dictyopteris, Acrothrix, Dasya corymbosa, and 

 several others were only seen once, confirms this view. 



Assistance. — Dr. P. Kuckuck joined the collecting party during June, 

 1910, and advantage was taken of his critical knowledge of the Phoeophyceac 

 to work out Ectocarpi, Chordarieae, &c, and to make comparisons between 

 the flora of the North Sea and Baltic, and that of Clare Island. 



In April, 1911, Dr. F. Borgesen paid a visit to the Survey-area. Naturally 

 the vegetation of Clare Island had been continually compared with the 

 detailed account given by him for that of the Faeroes, and several striking 

 contrasts had been noted. It was, therefore, of the greatest value to be able 

 to examine the algal associations with Dr. Borgesen, and to discuss the 

 problems that had arisen. His help also with regard to the Iceland Bora was 

 particularly useful. 



In order to make the floristic section of the work as accurate as possible, 



