HYDROIDS EASTERN CANADA 331 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 38a 



of Fundy, 5 in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and 2 off the Nova Scotia coast. These are 

 small forms and easily overlooked. Of the 9 species of the Halecidfe, 8 were from the 

 Bay of Fundy, 7 from the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and 4 from the Nova Scotia coast. 

 There is no apparent reason why the Nova Scotia coast should be lacking but there is 

 a similar lack in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in the Lafoeidge and Hebellidse as out of 

 the 11 species recorded, there are 7 from the Bay of Fundy, 3 from the Gulf of St. 

 Lawrence and 9 from the Nova Scotia coast. In the Sertularidte the gulf of St. Law- 

 rence leads, as out of the 24 species, 19 are from the Bay of Fundy, 21 from the Gulf 

 of St. Lawrence, and 14 from the Nova Scotia coast. As usual in temperate regions, 

 the Plumularidas are poorly represented. Out of the 8 species reported, 4 are from the 

 Bay of Fundy, 1 from the Gulf of St. Lawrence and 4 from the Nova Scotia coast, 

 only one species being reported from more than one place. Talcing the coast as a 

 whole, the gymnoblastic species and the Campanularidae are well represented while the 

 Halecidse and the Sertularidae are proportionately low in numbers. 



With the distribution here recorded additional evidence is obtained regarding the 

 conclusion that, for a large number of species, the distribution takes place southward 

 along the continental shores from a central circumpolar area. Of the 112 species, 65 

 have been reported from the Arctic regions, 72 from the west of Europe, and 57 from 

 the west coast of North America. Furthermore, it indicates that along these coasts 

 there is no very definite break in the continuity at any one ix)int, although, of course, 

 some of them extend farther southward than others. Of the 77 species that have been 

 reported from the east coast of the United States as well, 62 of them or 80 per cent 

 occur in the Arctic regions. Western Europe, or the west coast of North America, and 

 21 of them appear in the list of 51 species obtained at Beaufort, N.C., in 1911. 



A table shows the distribution of each species in these regions and another shows 

 the distribution of the Gymnoblastea and the main families of the Calyptoblastea. 



