44 Rhodora (Максн 
shells of the oyster, Ostrea virginiana, many of which had both valves 
intact, showing that they had lived in the mud there. A few years 
later, in putting a new foundation for the railroad bridge at Rowley 
across Rowley River, still larger beds of shells of Ostrea virginiana 
were uncovered, some of which shells were 12 inches long by 3 inches 
wide. Upon an examination along the shore, I found extensive 
Indian shell heaps made nearly exclusively of these shells. Again, 
upon the working over of another Indian shell heap, on Perkins 
Island, Ipswich River, there were found large deposits of these shells, 
together with shells of Venus mercenaria (Quahog) and Mya arenaria 
(the common clam). | 
Recent investigations, in looking over the mud dredged from the 
bed of Bass River in Beverly, revealed shells of Ostrea virginiana, 
together with shells of Pecten gibbus L. var. borealis, Astarte sulcata 
and A. undata Gould, and Pandora Gouldiana Dall; also a coralline 
cluster of Bryozoans incrusting stones (Schizoporella unicornia John- 
ston, identified by Dr. Bassler of the National Museum). ‘These 
cluster-colonies completely covered stones six inches long and three 
inches broad and were built up nearly half an inch thick. In washing 
the mud I collected many thousands of shells of Foraminifera of 
several species. 
A few feet below the living fauna, in the muddy bottom of Danvers 
River, near the new bridge connecting North Salem with Beverly, 
I found another large bed of the shells of Ostrea virginiana, together 
with numerous shells of Pecten. Shells of Astarte undata were also 
abundant; and shells of Anomia glabra Verrill, of great size, one of 
them three inches in diameter, with many other species, were thickly 
scattered among them. Shells of Venus mercenaria (Quahog), some 
of which measured four and a half by three and a half inches, were 
common. Several species of coralline clusters of Bryozoans, including 
Schizoporella sp. and Escharella variabilis Verrill, were found. 
The fauna represented by the above species, from these various 
stations in Essex County, is now known to live south of Cape Cod, 
where the Gulf Stream flows nearer the coast thus giving a much 
warmer climate. This indicates that there must have been a similar 
warm climate on the coast of Essex County, when this fauna flourished 
here and elsewhere north of Cape Cod — on the coast of northern 
New England and probably in the Bay of Fundy and the Gulf of St. 
Lawrence; and as these shell fish, Ostrea virginiana, Venus mercenaria, 
