811 



about a great deal, the whimbrel perhaps most of all. « Mr. Winge 

 further states that »a great many migratory birds really go to the 

 Faeroes, not only those that are breeding there but also many on 

 their passage north- or southward. « 



It seems to me very probable, that several, especially littoral 

 algae have been carried across the sea by the agency of these mi- 

 gratory birds. How easily may not the filament of a Rhizoclonium 

 or a Bangia stick to a bird's feathers, feet or beak. These filaments 

 are, as is well know^n, so elastic and roll up so easily, that they may 

 readily become entangled in the feathers of a bird. A small por- 

 tion of an alga, e. g. Porphyra, Enteromorpha , Monostroma, Ulva, 

 Ulothrix, Urospora or Prasiola may also easily stick to the beak or 

 the foot of a bird, and thus be carried off. It is of course only smal- 

 ler algae as a rule, or species of w^hich a fragment is sufficient to 

 develop new^ individuals, that we can suppose have been carried 

 across the sea in this way. 



As to the wind, it is certainly not incredible that small frag- 

 ments of algae may be swept up and carried across large distances, 

 as has been shown for both organic and inorganic substances (see 

 Warming, 83, p. 678 — 679^); but I think, that no great importance 

 can be assigned to the wind as a means of transporting marine algae. 

 As to the freshwater algse it is quite different. They often live in 

 places that dry up, from which they may easily be carried a long 

 w^ay with the dust as resting cells or spores. 



But the factor of greatest importance in the distribution of the 

 marine algae is naturalh^ the sea currents, and in the following 

 pages we must examine which of the currents are the most impor- 

 tant in this connection. We should naturally suppose that the greatest 

 supply of fragments of algae, resting cells or spores is furnished by the 

 countries which are nearest to the Faeroes; namely 1) the coasts of 

 Ireland and Scotland, 2) the west coast of Norway and 3) Iceland. 

 Each of these countries may be examined from this point of view. 



The coasts from w^hich first of all the immigration would be ex- 

 pected, are those of Ireland and Scotland, as they are the nearest 

 to the Faeroes. 



It cannot, however, be denied that the first view of a map of 

 the currents of the Northern Atlantic is somewhat disappointing, if 

 information is expected regarding the currents of these regions, as 



^) Cp. also: Warming, Eug., Den danske Planteverdens Historic efter Istiden. 

 Kjobenhavn 1904. 



Bolanj- of the Faeroes. 52 



