ZOOLOGY. 367 



order of Nature ; plants first, then animals. A coating of the green spores 

 was soon deposited on the sides of the glass, and bubbles of oxygen were 

 copiously thrown off every day under the excitement of the sun's light. 

 After a week, therefore, I ventured to put in animals," consisting of spe- 

 cies of Actinia, Bowerbankia, Cellularia, Balanus, Scrpula, &c., along with 

 some red sea-weeds. The whole throve and flourished from day to day, 

 manifesting the highest health and vigor, which induced the addition of 

 extra specimens to the Vivarium. 



After the lapse of a sufficient time, to test thoroughly the adaptability 

 of the manufactured water to the exigencies of its inhabitants, Mr. Gosse 

 thus reports : " Six weeks have now elapsed since the introdxiction of the 

 animals. I have just carefully searched over the jar as well as I could do 

 it without disturbing the contents. I find every one of the species and 

 specimens in high health, with the exception of some of the Polyzoa 

 namely, Crisea aculeata, \!ellepora pumicosa, and Pedicsllina Belgica. 

 These I cannot find, and I therefore conclude that they have died out ; 

 though, if I chose to disturb the stones and weeds, I might possibly de- 

 tect them. These trifling defalcations do in no wise interfere with the 

 conclusion that the experiment of manufacturing sea -water for the aqua- 

 rium has been perfectly successful." Chambers's Edinburgh Journal. 



EXAMINATION OF SOME DEEP SOUNDINGS FROM THE ATLANTIC 

 OCEAN. BY" PROF. J. W. BAILEY. 



In an account of a microscopical examination of soundings made by the 

 U. S. Coast survey near the Atlantic coast of the United States,* I made 

 known that the soundings along the coast, from the depth of 51 fathoms 

 S. E. of Montauk Point to 90 fathoms S. E. of Cape Henlopen, were : 



1080 fathoms, latitude, 42 04' north. 



1330 " " 44 41' " 



1580 " " 49 56' 30" 



1800 " " 47 33' " 



2000 " " 54 17' 



As these soundings are believed to be the deepest ever submitted to mi- 

 croscopic examination, and were obtained at localities far remote from 

 those previously no deed, they were studied very carefully, and the follow- 

 ing are the facts ascertained : 



1. None of these soundings contain a particle of gravel, sand, or other 

 recognizable unorganized mineral matter. 



2. They all agree in being almost entirely made up of the calcareous 

 shells of minute or microscopic Foraminiferse, (Polythalamia, Ehr.,) among 

 which, the species of Globigerina greatly predominate in all of the speci- 

 mens ; while Orbulina uniiersa, D'Orb., is in immense numbers in some of 

 the soundings, and particularly abundant in that from. 1800 fathoms. 



* See Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge, vol. ii. art. 3. 



