Gulf and River St. Lawrence. 205 



limits of which skirt the Banks of Newfoundland and pass from 

 tlience southward to Cape Breton. 



The refrigeration of its waters depends on the Arctic current, 

 which, entering the Straits of Belle Isle, floods the whole bottom 

 of the Gulf with water almost at the temperature of the Arctic 

 seas. To these conditions the series of collections from Gas]>i' 

 otfers somewhat an exception, and is of a slightly more southern 

 character, both as regards the species represented and the devel- 

 opment which they attain. This difference depends on purely 

 local causes, which, while slightly changing the character, give 

 opportunities for a very abundant development of Foraminifei;!, 

 more especially of the arenaceous forms. Gaspe Bay in no ]>; rt 

 exceeds 50 fathoms in depth ; is about 20 miles m extreme 

 length, well land-locked, and disturbed by no other current than 

 that caused by the ebb and flow of the tide. The depth is not 

 so great as to allow of the incursion of the cold and deep layei- 

 to any great extent, and the proximity of land and the shelter 

 thus afforded tend stdl further to modify its temperature. 



The bottom, in most of the deeper parts, is composed of fine 

 sand and mud, and this it is which favors the very large devel- 

 opment of arenaceous forms. 



Past the mouth of Gaspe Bay sweeps the very strong tidal 

 CLirrent of the St. Lawrence, and immediately we pass the shelter 

 ot Ship Head and come within its influence, the changes in the 

 i^orammifera become strikingly apparent The bottom consist- 

 ing for the most part of clean gravel or coarse sand, most of the 

 arenaceous forms disappear at once, and instead of the abun- 

 dance of Nonioninas and Miliolas previously found, a very large 

 proportion consist of PlancyrhuUna lobattda, which can hold its 

 own, attached to seaweeds and polyzoans. Polystomella Ardica 

 also becomes somewhat prominent, while the Lagenid® and 

 *'™lenid8e appear in abundance. 



VVhat few sandy forms do occur are depauperated and com- 

 posed of very coarse particles. The Foraminifera as a whole 

 r^^I?J.are very abundant, and in some samples dredged by 

 ^r- Whiteaves almost equal in quantity those in the deeper 

 Atlantic soundings. 



In the estuary of the St. Lawrence itself, Bulimina pyrula be- 

 G^r .V°"^®w^at common form. Among forms which in the 

 H f^ J Lawrence may be mentioned as specially characteris- 

 aL- I ^P ^^^^^^ are Nodosaria {Glandulina) l^vigata, GhU- 

 ^pna bulloides, very small ; Bulimina, principally B. squamosa, 

 aiso small; Uvigerinapygmma, CassiduUna. 



^rom depths greater than 100 fathoms all the Foramimfera 

 eeri ^? small and delicate ; and Lagenidae, Bulimmida, Globi- 

 p.!^^°^oides, together with a few depauperated Nonioninse, 

 institute the greater part of the fauna. From these depths 



•^- -^ODH. Sci.-TflXBn Series, Vol. I, No. 3.-Mabch. 1871. 



