96 



character of these shores quite different from that of any other 

 part of the coast of New England. These are, — the great 

 depth of the sea contiguous to the land, and the coldness of the 

 water. The latter cause is in some measure consequent upon 

 the former, since there is but little surface exposed to the action 

 of the sun compared with the volume of the water. The action 

 of the sun is also prevented, or very much weakened, for a large 

 portion of the time by the thick fogs for which the region is 

 noted. The surface temperature of the sea is from 15° to 20° 

 lower than in Massachusetts Bay at the same time. 



The shores are in general bold and precipitous ; the primary 

 rocks of which they are composed often rising one or two hun- 

 dred feet perpendicularly from the water. Consequently the 

 depth of the water is very great in close proximity to the land. 

 Soundings in one hundred fathoms may be obtained within a 

 mile of the shore. This depth cannot be found on any other 

 part of the coast of the United States within twenty or thirty 

 miles of the shore. The sea bottom is usually rocky, and 

 covered whh Sponges, Actiniae, Sertularise, Ascidise, and vari- 

 ous univalve moUusks ; but in places, as in eddies and points 

 where the violence of the rush of the tides is diminished, the 

 sediment brought down from the red Sandstones of the upper 

 part of the bay is deposited, and a reddish-brown muddy bottom 

 is formed, which abounds in pelagic species of shells, chiefly 

 bivalves. 



A character which cannot fail to strike the observer in this 

 region, is that of the great profusion of animals which inhabit 

 the sea, especially those of the lower classes. The Radiata are 

 chiefly abundant. The shores of Grand Manan are covered, in 

 many parts, with such numbers of sea-urchins, (Echinus granu- 

 latiis^ that it is impossible to make a step without crushing one 

 or more of them. At Eastport the shores abound in like man- 

 ner with specimens of Uraster ruheiis, a foot in diameter. Ho- 

 lothurise are also abundant, especially a species of Botryodac- 

 tyla, which grows to a foot or more in length, and present a 

 beautiful appearance seen from a boat sailing over them. They 

 usually adhere to the bare surface of the rocks by the suckers of 

 one side of the body, (which is always of a lighter hue than the 

 other side,) but they are pleased to find a chink or some pebbles 



