CHAP. IV.] THE CRUISES OF WE 'porcupine; 185 



throughout the globe ! We believe, however, that a 

 thorough examination of the newer Tertiaries would 

 materially assist us in the inquiry ; and such exami- 

 nation is feasible and comparatively easy. Much 

 good work has been done in this line ; but although 

 the researches of Brocchi, Bivona, Oantraine, Phi- 

 lippi, Calcara, Costa, Aradas, Brugnone, Seguenza, 

 and other able palieontologists in the south of Italy 

 have extended over more than half a century, and 

 are still energetically prosecuted, many species of 

 molluscous shells are continually being discovered 

 there, and have never been published. Besides the 

 MoUusca in this dredging from 994 fathoms, Pro- 

 fessor Duncan informs us that there are two new 

 genera of corals, and Mabellum distinctum, which last 

 he regards as identical with one from North Japan. 

 It coincides with the discovery on the Lusitanian 

 coasts of two Japanese species of a curious genus of 

 Mollusca, Ferticordia, both of which are fossil in 

 Sicily and one of them in the Coralline Crag of 

 Suffolk." 



In the same dredging there are a number of very 

 singular undescribed sponges, many of them recalling 

 some of the most marked characters of one of the 

 sections of Ventriculates. These will be referred to 

 in a future chapter. 



On Thursday, the 21st of July, dredging was 

 carried on all day at depths from 600 to 1095 fathoms, 

 lat. 39° 42' N., long. 9° 43' W., with a bottom tempera- 

 ture at 1095 fathoms of 4° -3 C. and at 740 fathoms 

 of 9°4 C. The dredging was most successful ; many 

 of the new and peculiar mollusca of the last dredging 

 were taken here alive, with several additional forms. 



