348 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. . [Vol. vli. 



of the specimens were dead), to<>-ether with some other common 

 kinds of shells, &c., and a little blackish mud, which smelt very 

 offensively. As there is a lumber mill in the bay, this ground 

 is probably an example of the " offensive compound of mud and 

 decomposing sa^vdust," of which Mr. Pope speaks. In a whole 

 afternoon's dredging we only got two or three living oysters. 

 Being detained a few days at Point du Chene, I endeavoured to 

 get some idea of the fauna of the bay, at depths of from low-water 

 mark to three fathoms, particularly with the view of ascertaining 

 what kinds of marine animals were associated with the oysters, 

 and how many of them were injurious to that mollusc. The 

 following is a list of the species collected in Shediac Bay ; those 

 which are supposed to be more or less inimical to the oyster being 

 italicised : — 



Crustacea. Solen ensis, v. Americana. 



Cancer irroratus. Sai/. Teredo, sp. (in a spruce log). 



Crangon vulgaris. Fab : Haminea solitaria. ^ai/. 



t Gammarus oruatus. Edu\ Cylichna pertenuis. Jflic/h. 



Idotea ii-rorata. Sa;/. Acmoea alveus. Conrad. 



MoLLUscA. Crepidula fornicata. Linn. 

 Ostrea borealis. Lam. <« unguiformis. La/n. 



O. Virginiana. Liu'er. Paludinella miuuta. 



Jl//lilus edulls. Linn. Odostomia trifida. Totten. 



JJodiola modiolus. Linn. Turbonilla interrupta. ToUen. 



Mercenaria violacea. iSchum. Lunatia heros. Say. 



Gemma Tottenii, St. Bittium nigrum. Totiea. 



Callista convexa. Sai/. Nassa obsoleta. San: 

 Petricola pholadiforniis. Lam. " trivittata. Sa>j. 



and var. dactylus. Astyris lunata. Saij. 

 Mactra solidissima Ckemn. EcmNODERMATA. 



Mya arenaria. Asteria vulgaris St. 



" truncal a. Cribella sanyuinolenta. 



Angulus tener. Say. Echinaraclmius paiiiia. 

 Thracia Couradi (line & frequent.) Echinus DrObachiensi.-^. 



Pandora trilineata, Say. Caudina arenata (Gould) 



In addition. to these, algoe were tolerably plentiful, and a snjall 

 number of annelids and zoophytes was collected. Of course the 

 short catalogue given is by no means offered as a complete list of the 

 fauna of the oyster beds. The chief living enemies of the oyster 

 in its native waters are starfishes, sea eggs (Echinus), carnivor- 

 ous sea snails orw^helks (the " drills" of the European oystermen), 

 and mussels. So far as I could see, these do not exist in sufli- 

 cient abundance in Northumberland Straits to be of any serious 

 disadvantai>'e. 



