76 



THE DEPOSITS OF THE SEA-BOTTOM. 



Station 98; some small Pteropods; a few fragments of Echini spines. 



Station 101; a few small fragments of Gasteropod and Lamellibranch shells. 



Station 102; a couple of small Pteropods. 



Stations 103— no; no calcareous shells. 



Station in; many indeterminable crust-like bodies; the surface irregidar and rough; by dis- 

 solution in acid a loose membrane remained, inclosing small grains of sand of the same nature as the 

 other grains in the specimen. 



Station 112; a few Echini spines. 



Station 113; a few Echini spines and fragments of Lamellibranch shells. 



Station 115; some very thin fragments of Lamellibranch shells. 



Station 116; some fragments of Echini spines and Echini shells. 



Station 117; a few Echini spines. 



Stations 118 — 126; no calcareous shells. 



Station 127; a very great number of rather indeterminable fragments; a few entire Lamelli- 

 branchs, Bryozoa, small Ophiurida and Echini spines. 



Station 128; a few fragments of Lamellibranch shells and Bryozoa. 



Station 129; a great many fragments of Lamellibranchs, Echini spines, a. o. ; a few small La- 

 mellibranchs. 



Stations 138 — 141; no calcareous shells. 



Station 143; one fragment of coral. 



When we look at the above list, it will first of all be conspicuous how small a part calcareous 

 shells of the higher organisms upon the whole play in the bottom specimens; by a comparison with 

 the older rocks we shall get the result that the quantity of fossils found in those, will as a rule be 

 larger than these insignificant fragments commonly forming the greater part of the contents. If, be- 

 sides this, we remember that most of the material enumerated in the table, is of so small dimensions 

 that it would scarcely be noticed if found in clay-slate or lime-stone, the contrast is still more striking. 

 In earlier geological periods, to be sure, several rocks may be foitnd, extremely poor in fossils, but 

 they are to be regarded as exceptions. In the same way we may be justified in supposing that in 

 most other regions of the oceans somewhat more of the mentioned ingredients of the specimens may 

 be found, and that the region navigated by the Ingolf-expedition is to be regarded as one, in which 

 comparatively very small quantities of Mollusc shells and the like are deposited. If we regard all the 

 28 specimens of Globigerina clay as a whole, we shall find that in the 27 of them weighing together 

 about 600 gram, no other entire shells are met with than a couple of Pteropods; only in one of the 

 whole number, no. 90, between Greenland and Iceland, some larger Gasteropods and Lamellibranchs 

 are found. This region is altogether remarkable by the quantity, sometimes very large, of small 

 Pteropods. Outside of this region they are not found, and it is a very remarkable fact that they are 

 only found in the specimens taken on the second cruise of the expedition, during the summer of 

 1896, while they are wanting in the specimens from the preceding year, although these latter were 

 taken in close vicinity of the former. 



