190 Tertiary Fossils of Canada, ^c, 



Lawrence at present. Great numbers have been dredged by Mr 

 Bell on the coast of Gaspe in about 60 fathoms. Along with 

 them are found a few specimens having the characters of the 

 typical Astarte sulcata of Great Britain, and others having the 

 charactei's of A. compressa^ a species much more nearly related 

 than the others to the fossil A. Laurentiana, though quite 

 distinct. I can recognise in the collections made by Mr. Bell and 

 myself all the above species or varieties, and in addition the A» 

 Arctica, which I have found only in the pleistocene beds near Port- 

 land. A. Laurentiana and A. Arctica are without doubt distinct 

 species from Sulcata, but different views have been entertained 

 as to the others. The distinction based by some authors on the 

 crenulated or smooth margin, and on which the species A. Scotica 

 and A. Danmoniensis have been founded, is evidently worthless, 

 depending as it does on age ; but the distinctions of external form 

 and marking are apparently constant at all ages, and do not shade 

 into each other. Althouoh therefore Dr. Gould and Mr. 

 Stimpson retain the name sulcata for all our American forms, I 

 think it admits of a doubt whether the same distinctions made by 

 Forbes and Hanley in Britain do not hold here. Mr. P. P. Car- 

 penter when in Montreal very kindly went over my collections 

 with me, and expressed himself satisfied that we have the forms 

 recognised in Britain as elliptica, sulcata, and compressa^ what- 

 ever their specific value. My impression at present is that com,' 

 jpressa is a good species, but that sulcata and elliptica as we have 

 them may be varieties of one. It is curious that while A. Lau- 

 rentiana prevails exclusively in the St. Lawrence deposits, the 

 modern species is found at Labrador ; and very possibly, especially 

 when we regard the more inland position and greater elevation of 

 the former, this indicates a difference of age in the deposits. 



The clay attached to and in the interior of Capt. Orlebar's spe- 

 cimens is very rich in the minute Foraminifera. It contains 

 specimens of all the forms found in the clays of Montreal and 

 described in my former papers, and in addition the following: 



Fotnlina ohlonga, Fig. 1. 

 Bulimina pupoideSy Fig. 2. 

 B. auriculata f 



OrhuUna universa, 

 Textularia variahilis, Fig. 3. 

 Nonionina Lahradorica, N. sp. Fig. 4. 

 Truncatulina lohata Fig. 5. 



