F. GEOGRAPHY. 217 



the form of an official report to the Minister of Marine and 

 Fisheries. This was the second enterprise of Mr. Whiteaves, 

 and was arranged to complete the labor of 1871. The area 

 examined extended from a little above Cape Rozier to the 

 Magdalen Islands. A depth of water somewhat over 200 

 fjithoms was found near the centre of the mouth of the St. 

 Lawrence, between Cape Rozier and the southwest point of 

 Anticosti; the greatest depth actually met with was 313 

 fathoms, about half-way between the east point of Anticosti 

 and the Bird Rocks. 



The work was prosecuted on board the government schoon- 

 er Stdla Maris^ which, being a sailing-vessel, was not so 

 conveniently adapted for this purpose as a steamer would 

 have been. In spite of the difficulties in the way, however, 

 large collections were made, embracing several species new 

 to science. The bottom temperature was generally ascer- 

 tained by bringing up the mud and sand and immersing the 

 bulb of the thermometer in it. In this way a record of 32 

 Fahr. was obtained at a depth of sixty fathoms, iibout five 

 and a quarter miles to the east-south-east of Bonaventure 

 Island. The mud elsewhere usually indicated about 37 or 

 38 Fahr., while in the central channel between Anticosti 

 and a part of the Gaspe peninsula the indications were from 

 40 to 45 Fahr. 



Among the novelties discovered was a sponge belonging 

 to a genus but lately indicated in the Depths of the Sea. 

 About thirty-five species of corallines were obtained, large 

 numbers of them being new. Numerous fine specimens of 

 Virgularia^ of the species collected last summer, were pro- 

 cured, the same kind having been found by Dr. Packard on 

 the George's Banks. Several species of sea-anemones were 

 secured in addition to those of last year's collection. Two 

 undescribed specimens of a coral (both dead) were also gath- 

 ered at a considerable distance from each other. The rela- 

 tions of these new species are rather to the tropical forms 

 than to those which we already know on the coast of the 

 North Atlantic, and it is suggested that possibly they may 

 have been thrown overboard with ballast. Against this, 

 however, is adduced the fact of the novelty of the form, and 

 the absolute identity of two diminutive objects obtained one 

 hundred miles apart. Montreal Gazette., April 12, 1873. 



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