1900] Prince — Dr. Hansen's Scientific Results. 141 



Carpenter's equatorial current. Thus an abundant float- 



\r\g fauna has been introduced, as Nansen argues, from 

 the west, while the food supplies to support this vast marine 

 population come from the east. " I think that the Siberian 

 current is of great importance," says Dr. Sars, " in conveying a 

 constant supply of nourishment to the pelagic animals of the north 

 polar basin. This nourishment consists of microscopic algae, 

 chiefly Diatoms, which are found to abound in the superficial polar 

 water of the Siberian Sea, though, gradually diminishing in 

 quantity westwards, apparently owing to their being largely fed 

 upon by the various pelagic animals. Indeed, without such a 

 constant conveyance of nourishing matter, there could be no such 

 rich animal life in the polar sea." The dark bands and discolora- 

 tions exhibited by ice in northern waters are mainly due to these 

 lowly plants (diatoms), though mingled at times with mineral dust, 

 probably volanic. The ochre, brownish red, or dull green tints 

 seen on the sides and margins of large bergs, floes, and even 

 pans, are found to be due to these vegetable organisms.* Dr. 

 Wakeham, when in Hudson Straits with the "Diana"' in 1897 

 reports, July 14th, " A great deal of the ice we have seen to-day is 

 discolored and soiled ; in some of it we noticed sand and gravel : 

 the most of it, however, is covered with an alga, similar to that 

 we have seen on the ice through the strait." (Hudson Bay Exped. 

 1897, Report Marine and Fisheries, 1898, p. 17.) Mr. Andrew 

 Halkett, in the report mentioned, figures these plant forms, of 

 which there appear to have occurred more than a dozen species. 

 Professor Cleve, on his first examination of Dr. Nansen's material, 

 distinguished sixteen species, all of which were identical with 

 Kellwan's specimens from Behring Strait, and twelve are un- 

 known elsewhere. Cleve was struck by the fact that two areas so 

 far removed should be the habitat of the same organisms, utterly 

 unlike others from other localities. 



Still more remarkable facts are, however, detailed in this 

 report. A minute crustacean, unique in its external characters, 

 a species of Heinicalamis was obtained in the very centre of the 

 "polar basin." All previous records of this genus are either in 



* Dr. Robt. Brown "On the Discoloration of the Arctic Seas." Quart. 

 Journ. Mic. Sci., 1865. 



