I 



1869.] Zoology. 323 



the Gulf Stream — actually within the Gulf of Mexico. Mr. L. F. 

 de Pourtalea has had the direction of this matter, and gives a most 

 promising account of dredgings at a depth of 400 to 500 fathoms, 

 and also at 300 fathoms. In this last region he found the most 

 common mollusc to he TerehratuJa Cubensis —a new species ; and 

 also a Waldlieimia, both of large size. This Terebratula is of great 

 interest ; for before this, only two living species of that genus — so 

 abundant in Oolitic and Cretaceous times — were known : the one, 

 T. vitrea, found in the Mediterranean ; the other, T, uva, a unique 

 specimen from the coast of Mexico. This tends to confirm the idea 

 of Sars — that in these deeper parts of the sea-bottom many forms 

 thought to be extinct may be still lingering on — or at any rate be 

 represented — not able to encroach on the fauna which occupies the 

 shallower water, but kept down by the advancing coast-fauna to the 

 lower regions, like prisoners in a dungeon. The case is comparable to 

 that of " Alpine " floras, which are now kej^t to the top of high hills 

 and mountain slopes, but which must once have spread from these 

 spots to Arctic regions. Mr. de Pourtales found Gasteropods rare 

 at a depth of 300 fathoms, Acephala rare and small, but Bryozoa 

 abundant. The most common Echinoderm was a new species of 

 Cidaris, besides which there were other forms, and a new Psolus. 

 Eighteen new species of corals, and other new Coelenterates are 

 mentioned. No sea-weeds were obtained. Some animal remains 

 were found whose presence is accidental, such as sharks' teeth, bills 

 of Cephalopods, shells of Pteropods, and fragments of bones of the 

 Manatee. A new Crinoid (probably the same as the Bhizocrinus 

 of Sars), considered to belong to the genus BourgueUcrinus of 

 D'Orbigny, was obtained — possibly identical with a species found 

 fossil in Guadaloupe. In the presumed absence of vegetable life, we 

 may fairly ask. What do these animals feed on ? They cannot cat 

 one another, or there would soon be an end to them. Must we 

 suppose that the Bathybius of Professor Huxley is here organizing 

 food from mineral matter ? 



The Fauna of tlte Victoria DocJcs. — Mr. Kent, of the British 

 Museum, at one of the excursions of the Quekett Club to the 

 Victoria Docks, discovered a new Nudibranch, of the genus Emhh- 

 tonia, which he calls E. Grayii, also a new Polyzoon, large 

 numbers of a species of ]\Iysis, the respiratory organs of which he 

 has been investigating, and besides these, that most interesting 

 fresh-water Hydrozoon, CordyJophora. These interesting forms 

 are associated with a vast variety of fresh-water Eotiferfe, Entoraos- 

 traca, and Infusoria. The occurrence of Emhletonia in this posi- 

 tion is exceedingly interesting. It appears from some observations 

 of Dr. Gray, that Emhletonia jpallida is found in the Baltic, ex- 

 tending far up into that part of the sea where the water becomes 

 almost fresh. Hence the occurrence of the genus in the brackish 



