22 



As has been proved, all the conditions are present which 

 would allow of the samples being as varied as possible, both as 

 to the size of the grains, and their mineralogicai nature. With 

 regard to the third important feature which serves to charac- 

 terize the samples, the conditions for the preservation of orga- 

 nisms are very unfavourable. The amount of organic material 

 contained in the samples is therefore exceedingly small. As 

 the variation in appearance produced by the presence of large 

 numbers of organic ingredients in the samples is usually of 

 the most conspicuous nature — the samples being for the most 

 part classified according to their organic contents — it will be 

 seen that these particular ones must in any case have a rather 

 uniform appearance. The small number of organisms in these 

 samples is in the first place due to the great amount of inorganic 

 material which is deposited all along this tract, and which 

 perhaps nowhere else in the world is laid down to such a 

 great extent. Moreover the number of small organisms, which 

 live in this sea, is probably very slight. There is a possibiUty, 

 however, that the organisms, as well as the inorganic ingre- 

 dients may be derived in somewhat large numbers from the 

 floating ice, being deposited at the bottom of the sea by the 

 melting of this ice. A closer examination of the samples, 

 liowever, proves clearly enough that the quantity of organisms 

 derived in this way is also proportionately insignificant. 



