A. EARLAND ON FORAMINIFERA. 409 



time later. For instance, in August 1895 I made a careful 

 search of the foreshore for several miles on each side of Heme 

 Bay, in Kent, without result, until I discovered a spot, on the 

 Whitstable side of the Hampton jetty, where the material was 

 most abundant and nearly pure. In August 1896 the same 

 spot yielded nothing, and a prolonged search in the immediate 

 neighbourhood gave no result. At the same time, I have no 

 doubt that if I could have spared time for a thorough search in 

 each direction, I should have discovered some fresh collecting 

 ground which had taken the place of Hampton as the focus of 

 the local currents. 



The apparatus required for the collection of shore gatherings is 

 very simple. It consists of a metal spoon, a piece of metal such 

 as the lid of a tobacco tin, having three sides bent up, and a 

 broad glass slip (3xl|"); also some linen bags, or a metal 

 canister, to contain the gatherings. The spoon t is used for scraping 

 ripple marks, and for lifting sand from the bottom of shallow 

 pools. The tin and slip are for gathering the floats when they 

 lie on the surface of the sand, the tin being used as a dustpan 

 into which the material is swept with the slip. If material is 

 abundant and rich, I seldom trouble to make any preliminary 

 cleaning at the seaside ; but if the gathering is poor and mixed 

 with a large proportion of sand, it is as well to lessen its bulk and 

 weight by a preliminary washing, which will eliminate most of 

 the sand. This can be done on the beach as the material is 

 gathered, using water from one of the pools. The only requisite 

 is a shallow tin dish, or if possible a photographic developing dish 

 with a lip at one corner. A handful of the gathering is placed in 

 the dish, which is then nearly filled with water. The tin is then 

 shaken with a circular rocking motion, which causes the forams to 

 collect iu a loose pile in the centre of the tin. By a sudden tilt 

 they can then be emptied into a strainer, which can be improvised 

 out of one of the bags, leaving the sand at the bottom of the tin. 

 The gatherings should be slowly dried by a very gentle heat. 

 Excessive heat will crack the delicate specimens, and turn the 

 hyaline foraminifera dull and opaque. The dried material can 

 then be packed away until it is convenient to finish the cleaning 

 process. 



This cleaning process is practically the same whether the 

 material is clean sand or coze from the dredge. The apparatus 



