310 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [Sept. 



very interesting examples were given by Mr. Smith of the eflfect 

 of the preservation of birds in the Soilly Isles. He had preserved 

 birds there for many years, and found that while some would 

 increase, others would decrease, being pushed out by stronger and 

 more rapacious kinds of birds. The Rev. H. B. Tristram 

 read a paper on the " Effect of Legislation on the Extinction of 

 Animals," strongly advocating legislative means being used to 

 prevent the extinction of wild animals, and particularly birds. In 

 the discussion which ensued, the opinions generally expressed 

 were in favour of this view. 



DEEP SEA DREDGING. 



The Rev. A. Norman, F.G.S., read a letter from Professor W. 

 Thomson on the successful dredging of H.M.S. Porcupine in 

 2,435 fathoms. He said — in a few words of introduction — there 

 could be no great progress in the work of sea dredging without 

 the aid — first, of the Royal Society, and secondly, of the Govern- 

 ment. They would remember that Professor Forbes had laid it 

 down as an axiom that life did not exist in the sea below 300 

 fathoms in depth, to which conclusion he was led by his investi- 

 gations in the jEgean and Mediterranean Seas. ' The results was 

 a warning to them not to theorise on individual facts. Sub- 

 sequently living forms were obtained from the Atlantic at greater 

 depths. But since the last meeting of the British Association at 

 Norwich, an enormous stride had been made in these investi- 

 gations. At that meeting Professor Huxley read a paper on a 

 form of life drawn up from the Atlantic. Since then great efforts 

 have been made in several parts of the world by deep sea dredgers, 

 amongst whom was Dr. Percival Wright, who had made investi- 

 gations off the Spanish coast. Professor Sars had made a com- 

 munication on the distribution of animal life in the depths of the 

 sea, and enumerated 427 species. The work had been assisted by 

 the Royal Society and the Government. The late Government 

 had sent the Lightning to dredge in the sea between the Hebrides 

 and the Faroe Islands, and an account of that expedition was 

 given by Dr. Collins in the Transactions of the Royal Society. 

 That expedition showed that there were currents of different 

 temperature running side by side. In one place the temperature 

 at the surface was 54 "^ , and at the bottom 47 ° ; and in the 

 other the surface was 54 ^ and the bottom 32 ° . He considered 



