The following is a composite list of species identified from 

 3 bottom samples by M. L. Natland of the Richfield Oil 

 Corporation. 



Cassidulina sp. 



Elphidium cf. articulatum (d'Orbigny) 



Elphidium cf. hughesi Cushman and Grant 



Eponides frigida Cushman 



Haplophragmoides sp. 



Lagena gracilis Williamson 



Lagena striata var. strumosa Reuss 



Martinotiella sp. 



Nonion labradoricum (Dawson) 



N onion cf. scapha (Fichtel and Moll) 



Nonionella turgid a var.? 



Reophax excentricus Cushman 



Textularia sp. 



Verneuilina advena Cushman 



Virgulina cf. bramletti Galloway and Morrey 



Trocbammina sp. 



Vvigerina juncca Cushman and Todd 



Although the assemblage is boreal, many of the species 

 are commonly found off southern California at depths similar 

 to the depth at which they are found in the Bering and Chukchi 

 Seas. The arenaceous species Verneuilina advena is noted by 

 Natland as being very abundant. This is especially significant 

 because he has found this species abundant in the Gulf of 

 Panama. Apparently some factor other than temperature, 

 such as depth or character of the sea floor, controls the 

 distribution of this species. 



Bacteria. Aseptic mud samples from various portions 

 of the core samples from the Bering and Chukchi Seas were 

 extracted by Fred Sisler of the Scripps Institution of Oceanog- 

 raphy in order to study the bacterial flora. The detailed re- 

 sults of this study are being reported separately by ZoBell 

 and Sisler. Among other things, this study showed the usual 

 presence of anaerobic hydrogen-consuming heterotrophes 

 (bacteria which utilize organic matter as a source of energy) 

 and the complete absence of anaerobic hydrogen-consuming 

 autotrophes (bacteria which utilize inorganic matter as a 

 source of energy). 



Distribution of Shelf Sediments . At first view, the sediment 

 distribution in the Bering and Chukchi Seas, as shown in 

 figures 2 and 5, requires some explanation. There is no 

 support for the often-stated belief that sediments are coarse 

 near shore and become progressively finer with depth and 

 distance from shore; such a belief is based upon wind wave 

 action alone and grossly fails to consider the many other 

 processes at work. However, the grade-size distribution of 



