238 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology. 



narrow and superficial (not over 20 miles broad, or 50 meters deep off 

 Halifax in summer), its velocity is considerable, and it persists at least 

 from spring to early autumn. Hence, since it retains its very low 

 temperature and salinity as far west as Shelburne, only 30 miles from 

 the entrance of the Gulf, it might be expected to produce the same 

 subarctic hydrography all around the northern shore of the latter, 

 as obtains off Halifax and Shelburne, did it enter the Gulf unaltered. 

 But nothing is more certain, from our four years work than that such 

 is not the case, the Gulf being hardly colder, or fresher, than if no 

 northern water reached it. And, at least in summer, its eastern side, 

 most open to the effects of the Cabot Current, is actually warmer and 

 Salter than its western. Furthermore the Cabot Current influences 

 the hydrography of the western side of the Gulf no more in winter than 

 in summer; and even in May, when it is apparently at its maximum, 

 the eastern part of the Gulf is of about the same temperature, except 

 for the immediate surface, as the western, decidedly warmer than the 

 water is off Shelburne, only thirty miles away. The fact that the 

 Cabot Current chills the eastern part of the Gulf so little, contrasted 

 with the very low temperature caused by it only a few miles east of 

 Cape Sable, suggests that such of it as enters the Gulf, is mixed with 

 warmer water from offshore; and this is confirmed by our salinity 

 records for 1914 and 1915. To begin with, the charts (Fig. 33, 34), 

 show clearly that only a minor part of the current reaches the Gulf, 

 even in June its main body swinging seaward off Shelburne (p. 217) ; 

 and the smaller branch which does pass Cape Sable, mixes on German 

 Bank with the much greater volume of warmer and Salter offshore 

 water which enters the eastern side of the Gulf in summer. And, in 

 summer at least, the resultant mixture is as a whole salter, and 

 warmer than the western part of the Gulf, though the latter is less 

 subject to disturbances from outside. 



The influence of the Cabot Current, in the Gulf, is most evident at 

 about 40 meters (Fig. 30, 33), its effect on temperature and salinity 

 being limited to the upper 100 meters, even when at its maximum 

 (p. 224); and it is certain that though it flows southward along the 

 eastern slope of Brown's Bank in summer, it neither crosses the latter, 

 nor follows it around to the west at that season, but exhibits a greater 

 and greater tendency to recurve upon itself off Shelburne as the depth 

 increases, the Eastern Channel being much warmer and salter. 



The warm salt tongue detected in the eastern part of the Gulf in 

 1912 (1914a) has been confirmed by more recent studies (1915). But 

 the fact that its salinity and temperature are both considerably below 



