The Fishes of the Bay of Fundy. 
By A. G. HUNTSMAN, 
Biologist to the Biological Board of Canada. 
The Bay of Fundy is a peculiar body of water in a number of respects. 
From its broad opening into the Gulf of Maine, its rather straight sides con- 
verge towards its head, and at the same time the depths decrease considerably. 
It has, indeed, the shape of a half cone, considerably flattened out and with 
the plane surface horizontal. This shape lends itself to a very full development 
of the tidal oscillations, which has made it famous for its high tides. 
On its southeastern or Nova Scotian side are two very different bays. 
At its mouth and opening more properly. into the Gulf of Maine is St. Mary 
bay, a small edition of the Bay of Fundy itself, but with its symmetry disturbed 
somewhat by two lateral openings, Grand and Petit passages, in its outer half. 
Being so broadly open to the Gulf of Maine and having very little fresh water 
entering it, it scarcely presents estuarine conditions, and has throughout water 
of comparatively high salinity, with, in summer, the temperature steadily 
rising towards its head. The Annapolis basin, on the other hand, presents 
rather different conditions. Opening into the Bay of Fundy not far inward 
from the level of the head of St. Mary bay by a rather narrow but deep gut, 
and having as its natural prolongation to the northeast, parallel with the shore 
of the Bay of Fundy, the gradually narrowing Annapolis river, which drains a 
considerable area, it presents in its outer parts conditions not unlike those of 
St. Mary bay, but changing rather abruptly into the estuarine conditions of 
the Annapolis river. 
At its head the Bay of Fundy forks, one branch consisting in succession 
of Minas channel, Minas basin, and Cobequid bay, and the other of Chignecto 
bay, with two branches, Shepody bay and Cumberland basin. In these waters 
the tides are very heavy, and a rather gradual change to warm estuarine con- 
ditions occurs. 
On the northwest or New Brunswick side of the bay is an inlet, St. John 
harbour, through which the major portion of the fresh water entering the bay 
passes. This water comes from the St. John river, which exhibits a series of 
enlargements or extensions not far from its mouth, a narrow passage through 
the rock. These features result in the formation at the mouth of a falls revers- 
ing with the tide, the amount of water poured through the mouth not being 
sufficient to greatly alter the level of the water in the adjacent extensive reaches 
of the river. Some of these reaches, as for example the Kennebecasis bay, | 
are comparatively deep and the bottom water consists of. the densest water 
entering the river during the year. This permits of the development of a 
salt or brackish water below the nearly fresh water of the surface. 
At the mouth of the Bay of Fundy on its north side where New Brunswick 
and Maine meet is the inlet of Passamaquoddy bay, into which several rivers 
empty, the St. Croix being the largest. A large number of islands to a great 
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