THE DEPOSITS OF THE SEA-BOTTOM. 77 



By a closer examination of the distribution of the calcareous organisms in the specimens, we 

 shall find that all the specimens, in which those organisms are found in the largest quantities, have 

 been taken near the coasts; with the exception of the above named Gasteropods, all the other ani- 

 mals with calcareous shells are thus seen to be living in many times larger numbers close to land 

 than in the open sea. Especially when we consider the fact that the deposition of the mineral material 

 from the land is much larger near the land than farther out, the difference between the quantities, in 

 which the calcareous organisms are deposited in the two places, will be extremely great Otherwise 

 the different coasts are different in this respect. At the western part of the north coast of Iceland 

 the largest quantity of calcareous shells in the whole territory is found. In the specimens from this 

 locality, nos. 127, and 129, the shells are to a very high degree found in fragments, most frequently 

 quite undistinguishable, unless a section was made of each fragment and subjected to a closer micro- 

 scopic examination. The subdivision of the shells in these specimens has even gone so far, that the 

 fragments are found in great numbers in the microscopic grains, which is only the case to a very 

 small degree in the other specimens. The reason why the shells are thus broken, must be sought in 

 the strong surf that is found on all the coasts of the territory navigated by the expedition. It would 

 also seem that the few shells found farther out, are far less broken than those closer to the coasts; 

 especially the very fine and fragile Pteropods mentioned above, which are found in so great numbers 

 between Iceland and Greenland, are almost all completely entire. In all the specimens from the west 

 coast of Greenland uncommonly few shells are found, whether the reason of this be that the animals 

 are living there in smaller quantities than on the other coasts, or the sedimentation of mineral material 

 is taking place with greater force, or perhaps both causes are acting jointly, both of them perhaps 

 being caused by the great quantity of ice in these regions. In the latter case, however, it would be 

 rather remarkable that the same circumstances are not found on the east coast of Greenland where 

 the ice is probably found in still greater quantity. At Jan Mayen comparatively few calcareous shells 

 are found in the specimens; but this may be accounted for by the fact that the tract of coast is here 

 very small, when compared with the area, over which the shells are spread. 



III. Siliceous Organisms. 



The skeletal parts of siliceous organisms, viz. Sponges, Radiolaria, and Diatoms, found in the 

 specimens, are far less conspicuous than the Foraminifera and the other calcareous organisms, although 

 the Sponge spicules may at times be rather conspicuous. The three groups being upon the whole 

 distributed according to the same laws, they are enumerated together in the following table. 



Station 2; a few Sponge spicules; in the sand preparation was found a spherulitic body, showing 

 between Nicholls placed crosswise a black cross with coloured rings; this body, perhaps, belonged to 

 a Radiolarian. 



Station 3; a few Sponge spicules; one oblong Diatom. 



Station 4; a few Sponge spicules; a few circular Diatoms, and one oblong one. 



Station 6; a few Sponge spicules; one attached form of Diatoms. 



