ON ZGEAN INVERTEBRATA. 177 
12. Of the Zoophyta the corneous species might leave impressions resem- 
bling those of Graptolites in the shales formed from the dark muds on which 
they live. The Corals would be few, but perhaps plentiful in the shelly beds, 
mostly however fragmentary. The Cladocora cespitosa, where present, would 
infallibly mark the bounds of the sea, and from the size of its masses, might 
be preserved in conglomerates where the Testacea would have perished. The 
Aectinie would have disappeared altogether. 
13. Of the Sponges, traces might be found of the more siliceous species 
when buried under favourable circumstances. 
14. The Articulata, except the shelled Annelides, would be for the most 
part in a fragmentary state. 
15. Foraminifera would be found in all deposits, their minuteness being their 
protection ; but they would occur most abundantly in the highest and lowest 
beds, distinct species being characteristic of each. 
16. Tracts would be found almost entirely deficient in fossils; some, such 
as the mud of the Gulf of Smyrna, containing but few and scattered, whilst si- 
milar muds in other localities would abound in organic contents. On sandy de- 
posits formed at any considerable depth they would be very scarce and often 
altogether absent. Fossiliferous strata would generally alternate with such 
as contain few or no imbedded organic remains. Whilst at present the littoral 
zone presents the greatest number and variety of animal and vegetable in- 
habitants, including those most characteristic of the Mediterranean sea, when 
upheaved and consolidated, their remains would probably be imperfect as 
compared with those of the natives of deeper regions, in consequence of the 
vicissitudes to which they are exposed and the rocky and conglomeratic strata 
in which the greater number would be imbedded. A great part of the con- 
glomerates and sandstones found would present no traces of animal life, which 
would be most abundant in the shales and calcareous consolidated muds. 
Supposing such an elevation of the sea-bottom of the /Egean to have taken 
place, a knowledge of the associations of species in the Regions of Depth 
would enable us to form a pretty accurate notion of the depth of water in 
which each bed was deposited. This I had an opportunity of exemplifying 
at Santorin. During a visit to that remarkable volcanic crater, in company 
with Lieut. Spratt, we carefully examined the little island of Neokaimeni, 
which came up in 1707, with a view to ascertain, if possible, the depth at 
which the eruption took place from any portion of the sea-bottom which 
might be included in its substance. Our search was successful, for imbedded 
in the pumice was a thin stratum of sea-bottom with its testaceous inhabitants 
in beautiful preservation. The following were the species :— 
Pectunculus pilosus, fine and double, the valves closed; Arca tetragona, 
Cardita trapezia, Cytherea apicalis. 
Trochus ziziphinus, large and fine; T. fanulum, T. exiguus, and J. cou- 
tourii; Turbo rugosus and sanguineus; Phasianella pulla, Turritella 3-cos- 
tata, Rissoa cimicoides, Cerithium lima, Pleurotoma gracilis. 
A Serpula, fragments of Cellepora and Millepora. 
Now there are only two of the regions in depth in which such an associa- 
tion of species would be met with,—the fourth and the fifth, Had it been the 
sixth, Zrochus ziziphinus would have been replaced by its representative 
Trochus millegranus. In the third Arca tetragona has not commenced its 
range, but in the fourth and fifth we found all the species named. The state of 
the Pectunculus and the Trochus ziziphinus indicating their maxima, with 
the numbers taken of some of the others, refer us to the fourth region as the 
province in which the sea-bottom on which they lived was formed, é. e. in 
1843. N 
