— 201 - 



apex is continually so to speak worn away by the force 

 of the waves. All the specimens I have seen had leaves which 

 were always fresh at the base, while towards the apex they gra- 

 dually become older and more and more tattered, and the segments 

 were gradually torn away so that the midrib only was left, and 

 when examined more closely the latter also proved to be scratched 

 and worn at the apex (cfr. fig. 84). It is true that I have only 

 seen specimens from April to August and October to December 

 and it is very probable that the leaf grows more rapidly at certain 

 seasons, but I feel convinced that a regular change of leaves does 

 not take place. I think Wi lie's observation (based on the mate- 

 rial from Mandai gathered in August) must doubtless be regarded 

 as a result of the warm season which is less favourable to this 

 species at so southerly a habitat". 



It was thus of great interest to find in a letter sent to Dr. 

 Ostenfeld a statement on this subject by the Director of the 

 Færoese High School., Mr. R.Rasmussen. Mr. Rasmussen writes: 

 "During the winter I have been occupied with the study of the 

 Algæ-vegetation here. I have been able to observe, how the Alaria 

 are forming their new leaves; they dont shed them like the 

 Laminaria-speties, but the leaf continues its growth in the limit 

 between leaf and stalk; here the midrib is always fresh. On a 

 coast so exposed as this one the greater part of the long lamina 

 is worn away during the winter and the growth is also rather 

 slow in the months of Nov. — Jan." This is the observation of 

 one who has been able to follow the development in just the 

 season of the year that I had missed and it quite confirms my 

 description as given above. 



I feel quite convinced that Alaria does not periodically shed 

 its leaf at the Færoes. The lamina will be more or less torn by 

 the surge, mostly in the winter when the waves are most violent 

 and the growth is then probably least, but I have never seen at 

 the Færoes any sign whatever of regular shedding of the lamina, 

 to say nothing of a contraction preparatory to fission in Alaria 

 esculenta, and from Phillips' note we must conclude that the 

 same is the case on the English coast 1 ). 



: ) Oltmanns (Morphologie und Biologie der Algen, 1. Bd. p. 443) mentions 

 Phillips' Observation, but he nevertheless follows for the most part the 

 observations of Wille and Areschoug. In consequence of the difference 

 of opinion he adds: "Es sind demnach erneute Angaben abzuwarten". My 

 own Observation in the "Botany of the Færoes" he does not mention. 



14* 



