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VICTORIA MEMORIAL MUSEUM. BULLETIN NO. I 



on the open coast, but in many cases no less suitable for many 

 forms of marine life. The islands are so numerous that there is 

 a great extent of shore line with all varieties of exposed and 

 sheltered, bluff headlands and sloping beaches. Best of all are 

 the areas in the larger straits and bays at the termini of the 

 narrow channels where the tide-rip brings such an abundance 

 of food supply for all sorts of marine forms. To give one 

 illustration: in Northumberland strait at a point about 5 

 miles southeast of Nanaimo, Dodds narrows enters it from the 

 west, while Gabriola island forms a boundary to the east. At 

 low slack tide Dodds narrows seems a rather insignificant 

 passage, but when the tide turns and rushes through it must be 

 a powerful boat that can make headway against it. In a small 

 area in the strait at or near the mouth of the narrows, over 20 

 species of hydroids were obtained in a couple of hours' dredging. 

 Such situations abound in the Gulf of Georgia. 



The work has only been started but it promises well. If at 

 some time in the near future the Department of Fisheries could 

 see its way clear to equip and man a boat to do such work as 

 the "Albatross" and the "Fishhawk" have been doing and are 

 doing for the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, there need be no lack of 

 opportunity for doing good work. If such were carried out, it 

 would not be long before the number of species of hydroids 

 reported would be many times the present number. 



The collections that have been reported on are as follows: (1) 

 Some shore forms collected by the writer at the Minnesota 

 Seaside Station, in the summer of 1903. (2) Material collected 

 by Rev. G. W. Taylor, on a trip to Queen Charlotte islands and 

 other points to the north of Vancouver island, previous to 1908. 

 (3) Collections made at Departure bay in 1908 and 1909. These 

 consisted of shore forms near the laboratory on the mainland, 

 and on the various islands near by, of forms dredged right in 

 the bay between the station and the outer islands and some 

 dredged farther out, outside of Newcastle island and over 

 towards Gabriola island. (4) Collections made chiefly by 

 dredging in Northumberland strait, at the entrance to Dodds 

 narrows and reported in the West Coast paper as from Dodds 

 narrows. (5) Some shore material collected by Mr. John 

 Macoun at Victoria in 1908. (6) Collections made by Dr. A. 



