1870.] DAWSON — ON FORAMINIFERA. 173 



The general aspect of the Gulf of St. Lawrence Foraminifera 

 is northern, and in many places closely resembles the fauna of the 

 Greenland coast and the Hunde Islands, as given in Parker 

 & Jones' Memoir.''"^ The Gulf, at least so far as its Foraminifera 

 are concerned, evidently belongs to the Arctic province, the limits 

 of which skirt the Banks of Newfoundland and pass from thence 

 southward to Cape Breton. 



The refrigeration of its waters depends on the Arctic current, 

 which, entering the Straits of Belle Isle, floods the whole bottom 

 of the Gulf with water almost at the temperature of the Arctic 

 seas. To these conditions the series of collections from Gasp6 

 offers somewhat an exception, and is of a slightly more southern 

 character, both as regards the species represented and the deve- 

 lopement which they attain. This difference depends on purely 

 local causes, which, while slightly changing the character, give 

 opportunities for a very abundant developement of Foraminifera, 

 more especially of the arenaceous forms. Gaspe Bay in no part 

 exceeds 50 fathoms in depth ; is about 20 miles in extreme 

 length, well land-locked, and disturbed by no other current than 

 that caused by the ebb and flow of the tide. The depth is not 

 so great as to allow of the incursion of the cold and deep layer to 

 any great extent, and the proximity of land and the shelter thus 

 afforded tend still further to modify its temperature. 



The bottom, in most of the deeper parts, is composed of fine 

 sand and mud, and this it is which favors the very large deve- 

 lopment of arenaceous forms. 



Past the mouth of Gaspe Bay sweeps the very strong tidal 

 current of the St. Lawrence, and immediately we pass the shelter 

 of Ship Head and come within its influence, the changes in the 

 Foraminifera become strikingly apparent. The bottom consisting' 

 for the most part of clean gravel or coarse sand, most of the 

 arenaceous forms disappear at once, and instead of the abundance 

 of Nonioninas and Miliolas previously found, a very large proportion 

 consist of Planorbulina lobatula, which can hold its own, attached 

 to seaweeds and polyzoons. Polystomelia Arctica also becomes 

 somewhat prominent, while the liagenidas and Entosolenida3 

 appear in abundance. 



What few sandy forms do occur are depauperated and com- 

 posed of very coarse particles. The Foraminifera as a whole 

 however are very abundant, and in some samples dredged by Mr. 



* Philosophical Transactions, 1865. 



