172 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [June 



ON FORAMINIFERA FROM THE GULF AND RIVER 



ST. LAWRENCE. 



By G. M. Dawson. 



By way of introduction to these notes, I may state that the 

 reader will find some account of the curious and interesting 

 animals to which the paper relates, with figures of characteristic 

 examples, in Vol. IV, new series, of this Journal, page 413 ; and 

 that several species found in the Gulf of St. Lawrence have been 

 catalogued by Principal Dawson, in the same Journal, Vol. V> 

 page 188 et seq. The following table is, however, the only 

 approach to a complete view of the species and their distribution 

 hitherto attempted. 



Many of the deeper samples were small quantities of mud 

 brought up in sounding, bj Capt. Orlebar, R.N., of the Coast 

 Survey, and by him kindly presented to Dr. Dawson. 



The specimens from Labrador were obtained from material 

 dredged by the officers of the Geological Survey; those from 

 Prince Edward Island, were from a specimen secured by C. Robb, 

 Esq. ; and those from the Bank of Newfoundland, were obtained 

 from the late Sherifi" Dickson, of Kingston. 



The somewhat extensive series from Gaspe Bay was obtained 

 during a dredging expedition in the summer of 1869. The mud 

 was sampled when brought up by the dredge, and reserved for 

 examination, the depth being ascertained as carefully as possible. 

 Several very rich and interesting samples are also from the 

 dredgings of Mr. J. F. Whiteaves, F.G.S., in Gaspe and its 

 vicinity. Mr. Whiteaves has also gone over this material with 

 care, and has detected some additional species. 



The means were unfortunately not at hand for ascertaining the 

 temperature at the bottom. But, though there is reason to 

 believe that the water at Gaspe Bay is somewhat warmer than 

 the Gulf of St. Lawrence in general, the mud as it came over the 

 boat's side felt icy cold to the hand, showing even here what a 

 great eifcct the iceberg-laden Arctic current has on the bottom 

 temperature. The number of species tabulated must not in every 

 instance be taken as a criterion of the relative richness of the 

 localities, as much often depends on the amount of material at 

 disposal. This is especially the case when comparing dredgings 

 with soundings. 



