142 Zoology 



and plan of the author's investigations on fossil and recent corals and phenomena 

 associated with coral reefs ; also a bibliography of his papers on these subjects 

 and those of other investigators who have collaborated with him. A table giving 

 the geographic distribution of the species considered follows the preliminary mat- 

 ter and shows that certain species range from the east coast of Africa on the 

 west to a line passing through 'the Hawaiian and Fanning Islands on the east 

 The corals from Murray Island are listed according to the station at which they 

 were collected in Doctor Mayer's cross-section of the reef ; while those from other 

 stations at which he collected in the vicinity of Murray Island are listed accord- 

 ing to the physical environment at those stations. The corals collected by Dr. 

 F. Wood Jones in Cocos-Keeling Islands are listed and discussed in a manner 

 similar to the treatment of the species from Murray Island. Pages 73-207 are 

 devoted to a systematic account of the collections which comprise 36 genera, 

 145 species, and 11 systematic subdivisions subordinate to specific rank; one new 

 genus and 14 new species are proposed. After each species in the systematic 

 part of the paper, information is given as to its ecologic conditions, particularly 

 the depth of water and the relation to rate of movement of the water and its 

 variation according to its position on the reef is discussed when the necessary 

 data are available. The systematic part of the paper covers pages 49 to 234 and 

 is illustrated by plates 20 to 93, on which many of Dana's types are figured. An 

 index follows the plates. 



This volume includes another paper by Dr. Vaughan, submitted in collaboration 

 with J. A. Cushman, M. I. Goldman, M. A. Howe, and others. It is entitled 

 "Some Shoal-water Bottom Samples from Murray Island, Australia, and Com- 

 parisons of them with Samples from Florida and the Bahamas" (pp. 235-297 and 

 plates 94-99). The paper outlines a method of studying calcium-carbonate bot- 

 tom-deposits, in the hope that progress may be made toward an adequate classi- 

 fication of such sediments. The method includes the consideration of the follow- 

 ing subjects, vis.; (a) mechanical analysis; (&) study of the composition of the 

 separates of different sizes and the determination of the percentage composition 

 of each separate according to the origin of its constituents; (c~) chemical compo- 

 sition of the different constituents; (d) chemical composition of the entire sample; 

 (tf) correlation of the chemical composition of the entire sample with that of its 

 different constituents according to percentages; (/) conditions under which the 

 deposit is formed that is, its relations to land areas, configuration of the bottom, 

 winds, and currents, and depth, temperature, and salinity of the water in which 

 formed; (#) areal extent and. if possible, volume of the deposit. 



A section of the report entitled "Composition of Two Murray Island Bottom 

 Samples according to Source of Material," is contributed by Dr. Goldman. The 

 relative importance of organisms in two of the bottom samples is as follows : 1,600 

 feet from shore, (a) corals, 41.9 per cent; (b) calcareous algx, 32.6 per cent; 

 (c) Foraminifera, 12.4 per cent; Mollusca, 10.2 per cent. At 200 feet from shore 

 the order is: calcareous algae, 42.5; corals, 34.6 per cent; Mollusca, 15.2 per cent; 

 Foraminifera, 4.1 per cent. 



Dr. Cushman contributes an article on the Foraminifera from Murray Island. 

 Dr. Howe one on the calcareous algse from Murray Island and Cocos-Keeling 

 Islands; and Dr. Albert Mann a list of the diatoms from Murray Island. 



The discussion of the samples from Florida and the Bahamas follows the 

 plan of that for the specimens from Murray Island, except that an actual quantita- 

 tive determination of the relative proportion of material contributed by the dif- 

 ferent groups of organisms and by chemical precipitation has not yet been made. 

 The problem of the precipitation of CaCOs in the ocean and possibility of its 

 solution in the sea is discussed in the light of the latest evidence and the con- 

 clusion is reached that in the shoal waters of the tropics ocean-water does not 

 dissolve calcium carbonate, but that the contrary process precipitation by both 

 inorganic or organic (bacterial) agencies is taking place. Conditions in the 

 deep sea, and perhaps in the cold waters of high latitudes, are different. A num- 

 ber of subjects of geologic importance are discussed in this paper. 



