THE MOUNT DESERT REGION 43 



years. The surface temperature, therefore, raised and re- 

 mained undisturbed, and this protozoan divided at such a 

 rapid rate that by the end of the month most of the Bay was 

 red; so red that in swirling around the laboratory dock it 

 looked as though blood had been poured into the water. Upon 

 investigation this animal proved to be a protozoan closely 

 resembling the fresh-water Halteria, and as far as we are able 

 to find out it is of an undescribed species. This protozoan 

 has undoubtedly existed in this region for many years, but 

 the conditions for its rapid growth were not as favorable as 

 in August, 1931. 



Unfortunately, this protozoan has been described as a larva, 

 and the statement published that it disappeared at night and 

 that its presence was due to the large amount of food brought 

 into the Bay in 1931. All of which may be disregarded, for 

 1931 was normal as to the brook flow; it did not disappear at 

 night, and was not a larva but easily recognized as a pro- 

 tozoan. 



SEA BOTTOM 



The sea bottom of this Eegion, with the exception of parts 

 of the inner Bay, is rock with patches of blue clay, of broken 

 shells, of gravel, and of mud, and of various mixtures of 

 these; and so much mud has been washed into the inner Bay 

 that the greatest portion of it is soft, sticky, grayish-black 

 mud that harbors but few forms compared with other bot- 

 toms. A study of our dredging shows that these patches are 

 in all parts and because of the rock they vary in extent from 

 a hundred yards down to a few feet, where a small crevice in 

 the rock has been filled up. 



Statements have been made that the inner Bay is affected 

 by the flow of the rivers, but such is not the case, for these 

 rivers are merely small brooks as far as fresh water is 

 concerned, and the 'rivers' are simply long, narrow estuaries 

 where the tide flows to and fro. As an example, in the case 

 of the Skillings Eiver, there are mussel beds and even a good 

 scollop bed two miles above the so-called mouth, and the brook 

 that flows into it is about 2 feet wide. The only river that 



