H. JONSSON 



from the drift-ice having remained at the coast during the whole 

 summer of the previous year (1882), but it may also be due to the 

 fact that, in this case, Stromfelt went by steamer from port to 

 port, and could scarcely have obtained a thorough knowledge of 

 the coast in as much as the steamer usually stops only a short 

 time at each port. 



Stromfelt mentions the following algal formations : the Fucacece- 

 formation which is reported from Holmanes and Seley in E. Ice- 

 land; the Laminaria- formation, under which a subvegetation of 

 red algae is mentioned. Further, a Monosfroma-vegetation is recorded 

 as occurring near Ekifjor5ur at a depth of two fathoms on a sandy 

 bottom, and a //a/osacczon-formation at extreme low-water mark on 

 Holmanes. Stromfelt expresses the opinion, moreover, that a 

 Corallina - formation formed by Lithothamnion- species must exist, 

 but he does not say anything definite regarding this point, as he 

 received almost all the Lithothamnion - species from the fishermen 

 (70, pp. 10, 11). The description of the vegetation is evidently based 

 on observations made in places where Stromfelt stayed for a 

 longer time, viz. Eskifjordur and Rey5arfjor5ur in E. Iceland, and 

 Eyrarbakki in S. Iceland. I have incorporated Stromfelt's obser- 

 vations with my own in my description of the vegetation. 



Stromfelt, on the other hand, treats exhaustively of the dis- 

 tribution of the species along the coasts. Thus he is the first to 

 substantiate the existence of two floral districts in the sea on the 

 coasts of Iceland: a cold-water flora in NE. Iceland and a warm- 

 water flora in SW. Iceland. In a table he gives a summary of the 

 distribution of the species along the coast of Iceland, and states 

 whether they are found in the Norwegian Polar Sea, the North 

 Atlantic and the Greenland Sea. He records 33 species as common 

 to NE. Iceland and SW. Iceland, 33 species as growing in NE. Ice- 

 land and absent from SW. Iceland, and 28 species as growing in the 

 latter district and absent from the former. Thus 66 species in all 

 are recorded from NE. Iceland and 61 species from SW. Iceland. 

 Of the species given by Stromfelt as being found in or absent 

 from NE. Iceland and SW. Iceland respectively, later investigations 

 have proved that far the greater number are common to both 

 places, but then, again, other species have been found which are 

 characteristic of the different districts. 



My description of the algal vegetation along the coast of Ice- 

 land is based mainly on my own observations, and further on 



M 



