705 



brown, the vcgelalion was scattered, and with the exception of some 

 faded fragments of tlie Bangia, it did not reacli l)eyond higli water 

 mark. It was moreover most instructive to notice the dilTerence 

 between the httoral algae-vegetation of coasts facing the North or 

 facing the Sontli. On exposed shores of the former places a rather 

 luxuriant algai-vegetation grew, not only littorally, but even above 

 the highest water mark, whereas the latter places were almost de- 

 stitute of algae. I have not met with a similar difference on the 

 coasts of the Fairoes. 



2. Nature of the Coast. 



The Fseroese coast is particularly favourable to algal vegeta- 

 tion. We meet with more or less broken cliffs ever}^ where on the 

 open shore, especially on the northern and western sides of the is- 

 lands. The rocks are of basalt and similar readily crumbling ma- 

 terials, which the wearing of the sea and weather make ver}^ un- 

 even, thereby offering a very good hold for the algae. 



Sometimes the walls of the cliff descend almost vertically to 

 considerable depths, sometimes they slope down gently and evenly, 

 allowing the surf to wash up the slope constantly. Or long stretches 

 of the coast, as at Myggenaes, on the w^estern side of Sydero and 

 the northern sides ofStromo and Vaago, are wild and rugged, with 

 numerous large and small rocks shelving into the sea and with 

 masses of fallen rocks piled on one another; in this way the most 

 var^dng habitats are produced, from the much exposed to those 

 relatively sheltered behind the sea cliffs ; the beach too offers many 

 different degrees of light to the algae, daylight sometimes coming 

 straight down on the algae, at other times obscured by overhanging 

 or fallen rocks. Finally there are many ravines and caves along 

 the coasts, where even sublittoral algae, occurring elsewhere only in 

 deep w^ater, find suitable light at the very surface of the water. 



At the foot of these almost vertical rocks there is often an al- 

 most horizontal or but slightly sloping foreshore, which is some- 

 times very broad, and more or less covered at high tide, but per- 

 fectly dry at ebb-tide. In such places a very luxuriant algal 

 vegetation is often found, and on account of the sometimes very 

 slight slope, the different algae can spread widely in a horizontal 

 direction, whilst those on vertical rocks are often reduced to a 

 minimum, as many species only occur within a very limited regi- 



