1853.] SALTER ON ARCTIC SILURIAN FOSSILS. 313 



described by Prof. Jameson and Mr. Konig ; and a few fossils, 

 brought away in ballast from Prince Leopold's Island by Sir James 

 Ross, had been detected at Woolwich by Capt. James, R.E., and men- 

 tioned in Prof. Ansted's Manual. But the present collections from 

 the entrance of Wellington Channel are far more extensive than those 

 before made ; and the localities have been exactly marked. Her 

 Majesty's squadron, under command of Capt. Austin, collected spe- 

 cimens of fossiliferous limestone in Assistance Bay, Cape Riley, and 

 Beechey Island, and in Griffiths' and Somerville Islands ; and some 

 travelling parties brought home a specimen of the same limestone 

 with fossils from Cape Walker, still further to the south-west. Our 

 thanks are especially due to Capt. Ommanney and Mr. Donnet, who 

 have presented their specimens to the Museum of Practical Geology, 

 and to Sir John Richardson, who has permitted us to examine those 

 brought home by Mr. Pickthorne of the ' Pioneer.' 



In addition to these, Capt. Penny and his companions discovered 

 that the same rock with fossils extends up both sides of the strait, and 

 covers the islands at the mouth of the newly discovered Queen's 

 Channel. These I'esearches were pi'osecuted more particularly by 

 Dr. P. C. Sutherland, assisted very willingly by the seamen ; and to 

 Sir John Richardson we are indebted also for the examination of 

 these fossils. 



Of the following list of organic remains (described in the Appendix 

 to Dr. Sutherland's Journal*), some are known European fossils. 

 Among these the common Chain-coral (JJalysites catenulatus), the 

 Favosites Gothlandica and F. polymo^yha, and the Atrypa reticu- 

 laris are well-known cosmopolitan species. There are some others, 

 more doubtfully European forms ; and three, among which is the 

 Fentamerus conchidium, appear to be identical with Swedish species 

 in the Wenlock limestone of Gothland. The rest are new to me, 

 either as occurring in Europe or America. 



The general resemblance with the fossils of our own Upper Silurian 

 rocks is very considerable ; and, in the absence of many characteristic 

 Lower Silurian genera, the identity of several species with Upper 

 Silurian forms, and the great prevalence of corals, I think we are 

 quite warranted in placing these strata in the Upper division of the 

 Silurian system. 



The shores at the entrance of Wellington Strait, at Cape Riley, 

 Beechey Island, Cornwallis and Griffiths' Islands, contain the fol- 

 lowing fossils, most of which are figured in the work above-quoted: — 



Crustacea. 



1. Encrinurus laevis, Angelini (Sutherland's Journal, Appendix, 



pi. 5. fig. 14). In all probabiUty a Gothland species. The 

 arctic fossil differs in having two more ribs on each side the 

 tail. 



2. Proetus, sp. {I. c. pi. 5. fig. 1.5). 



* Journal of a Voyage in Be..f5n's Bay and Barrow Straits in the years 1850- 

 1851, &.C. 2 vols. Svo. London, 1852. Appendix, p. ccvii. 



