THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE NORTH SHORE OE 

 THE GULE OE ST. LAWRENCE 



By PAUL BARTSCH, 



Curator, Division of A[o!his!cs. [i. S. National Musciini 



At the invitation of Mr. Copley Amory, of Washington. D. C. a 

 collecting expedition to JMr. Amory's estate on Matamek River on 

 the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence w^as sent out in the sum- 

 mer of 1927 by the \J. S. National Museum. The party consisted of 

 Mr. and Mrs. Paul Bowman, of George Washington L^^niversity, and 

 the writer. It was ]\Irs. Bowman's purpose, under the writer's direc- 

 tion, to gather as much as possible of the local marine invertebrate 

 faunas, particularly mollusks. With these specimens was to be kept 

 an accurate record of the environmental conditions under which these 

 organisms exist, including depth, character of bottom, 1)ottom tempera- 

 ture, and salinity. Samples of bottom and water were to be taken 

 also at every station. 



Mr. Am(»ry placed at the ])arty's dis])osal a ])0\ver boat and a 

 spacious lal)oratory well ec[uipped with all the needed outfit for 

 oceanographic research, and saw to it that we were well housed and 

 more than well fed. Not only that, but he was ever ready to give us 

 the benefit of his knowledge of local conditions acquired through 

 many years of summer residence at this place, as well as actual per- 

 sonal help, and this meant much, for our party consisted largely of 

 land lubl^ers, while Mr. Amory might enter a race with any seaman 

 in bending on a dredge or splicing a line. 



A series of hauls were accordingly made along the coast. In addi- 

 tion to the marine dredging, careful collecting was done along the 

 beaches and the shallow water lagoons. The tide pools were made to 

 yield their creatures by the judicious use of co])]ier sulphate at low 

 tide, which soon brings all animals not fixed to rocks from their 

 hiding, and enables the collector to scoop them up with his di]inet. 

 Mrs. Bowman also carefully exjilored the pools, lakes, and streams of 

 the region for fresh-water organisms, and likewise made a careful 

 search for land mollusks. The gathering of the latter was rather an 

 ingenious proceeding. The land about Matamek is formed chiefly of 

 rock, deficient in lime, with an acid soil condition which makes this 



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