THE GULF OF SAINT LAWRENCE. 17 



Orphan Bank, which lies thirty five miles a little north of east of Miscou Islaud, at the 

 mouth of Clialeur Bay, is of very limited extent. The shallowest sounding upon it, as indicated 

 ou the admiralty chart, is twenty-five fathoms, and this appears in only one spot, while about 

 it and within a radius of eight miles are marked from thirty-five to fifty-three fathoms. The 

 character of the bank and its fauna are thus described by Mr. J. G. F. Whiteaves: 



" The Orphan Bank, which is situated off the eutrauce to the Bay des Chaleurs, is a stony 

 patch, as are most of the inshore fishing-banks, many of which are not indicated or defined ou the 

 charts. The masses of rock are usually large pieces of reddish sandstone (often perforated by two 

 species of boriug bivalves, the Saxicava ritgosa and Zirphcea crispata), with a small proportion of 

 pieces of Laurentiau gneiss, etc. Animal life is profusely abundant here, which is undoubtedly 

 the reason why cod, mackerel, etc., frequent this and similar banks in such enormous numbers. 

 Soft-bodied organisms of various kinds give a special facies to this particular one. These are 

 iucrusting sponges; tunicates of many genera and species, some of unusual size; an Actinia 

 {Meiricliiim) ,■ the common iwvthevn Alcyonium (rubiforme) j Alcyonidium f/elatinosum ; Hydrozoa 

 and Polyzoa, in great profusion, etc. Among the harder forms are an abundance of the com- 

 moner Echinoderms, with a few scarce species; large calcareous Polyzoa, and a large number of 

 fine Crustacea. Shells are tolerably numerous, though not nearly so much so as on the Bradelle- 

 Bank, and Annelids were relatively scarce." 



The character of the bottom on " Miscou Flat " and about the Magdalens is very similar to 

 that of Orphan Bank, while it is probable that the Pigeon Hill Ground more nearly resembles 

 Bradelle Bank. 



Bradelle Bank.— The Bradelle Bank is of much greater extent thi-.n the Orphan Bank. 

 Its center lies about fifty miles west by north of Grindstone Islaud, Magdalen Islands, and, as 

 laid down on the charts, it covers an area of about thirty miles long from north to south, 

 by about twenty miles broad from east to west. The deepest sounding near the edge is about 

 thirty fathoms aud the shallowest twenty fathoms; the soundings mostly range from tweuty-oue 

 to twenty-five fathoms. The distance from the center of Bradelle Bank to Orphan Bank is about 

 forty miles, the greatest depth between being fifty fathoms. The greatest depth between Bradelle- 

 Bank and the Magdalen Islands is from thirty-six to forty-two fathoms. The bottom and fauna? 

 characters of Bradelle Bank are described by Mr. Whiteaves as follows : 



" The Bradelle Bank is also a stony patch, but the pieces of rock are usually smaH, aud there 

 is a greater admixture of gravel, sand, and mud on this bank than upon the Orphan. Soft-bodied 

 animals appear to be scarce upon the former, and shells occur in unusual abundance. The assem- 

 blage of Hydrozoa, Echinoderms, Polyzoa, and Crustacea is much the same on both banks, thougki 

 a few peculiar species were found on each. The rarer forms found at these two places will be 

 catalogued in the second part of this report. While the animal life of the shores of Cape Breton 

 (except In deep water), of those of the Magdalen group and of Prince Edward's Island, as well as, 

 that of the whole of Northumberland Strait up to the southern entrance to the Baie des Chaleurs, 

 is of an Acadian or Southern type, the fauna of the Orphan and Bradelle Banks has a decidedly 

 Arctic or Northeru character. The Bradelle Bank, in particular, presents the phenomenon of a 

 small patch tenanted by an assemblage of marine animals which usually inhabit very cold watei", 

 and almost entirely surrounded by another series, which are for the most part prevalent where the 

 bottom is warmer and more affected by surface couditions of temperature." 



Miscou Flat is a stretch of rocky shoal ground tliat makes out from Point Miscou in an 

 east-southeast direction a distance of nearly twenty miles. There is depths of water upon it of 

 ten to twenty-two fathoms, the bottom gradually falling off to the outer part. 

 SEC III 2 



