Gulf of St. Lawrence. 217 



as Green Island, and the first living ones at Bic. This species 

 probably ranks next to Mytilus edulis, in abundance along the 

 south-east side of the Lower St. Lawrence. In an ancient sea beach 

 between Metis and the Trent, about 15 feet above the present sea 

 level, these shells are found in heaps and mixed with sand and 

 fragments of other shells, the same as along the present shore, 

 some imperfect valves were found at Matan in a bed of sand near 

 the top of the 50 feet terrace occurring there. 



Venus mercenaria. — Specimens in Sir W. E. Logan's collection 

 from the Gulf; occasionally found among oysters from Carraquette. 



V. gemma. — Very abundant at low tide in coarse sand around 

 the islets between Green Island and the main land. 



Aphrodite Groenlandica. — Abundant at Bic and Rimouski. 

 At the latter place a fine specimen mo: e than three inches long- 

 was procured. Plentiful in flounders stomachs at Metis, Ste. Anne 

 and Ruisseau Vallee. 



Cardium Islandicum. — A valve was found in Bic Harbour, and 

 another at Rimouski. Common in stomachs of flounders at Metis 

 and Ste. Anne, these shellfish, which were sometimes found alive in 

 their maws, seem to constitute their principal food ; their average 

 size was two inches in length. 



Cardita borealis. — Dredged at Marcouin and found in fishes 

 maws at Capuchin, Ste. Anne and Ruisseau Vallee. 



Astarte sulcata. — Rare at Bic Harbour, Cape Chatte, Ste. Anne 

 and Rouisseau Valine, but was one of the commonest shells 

 dredged in GO fathoms off Marcouin. Among the Marcouin dredg- 

 ings were a number both of living and dead specimens of a variety 

 or perhaps a distinct species which bear a very close resemblance 

 to A. Laurentiana, the common species of the Post Pliocene de- 

 posits near Montreal, and which differs in many respects from A* 

 sulcata. 



Lucina flexuosa. — Ste. Anne, Ruisseau Vallee and Marcouin ; 

 stomachs of haddock. 



Lima suhauriculata. — One specimen of this rare and beautiful 

 species was found in the stomach of a haddock at Ste. Anne. 



Mytilus cdidis. — Found farthest up the St. Lawrence at 

 Karaouraska and gradually becomes more abundant in descending 

 the river. The largest individual found on the Gaspe coast is 3f 

 inches long. In the Bay of Chaleur they are much wider poste- 

 riorly than in the St. Lawrence, they resemble the fo-sil variety, 

 but are generally either straight or concave along the ventral 

 margin. 



