﻿Geology 
  and 
  Natural 
  History. 
  159 
  

  

  of 
  certain 
  species, 
  in 
  area, 
  in 
  depth, 
  and 
  over 
  diverse 
  bottoms. 
  

   Finally, 
  there 
  are 
  maps 
  giving 
  the 
  location 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  hundred 
  

   and 
  eight 
  stations 
  which 
  furnished 
  material 
  for 
  the 
  examination. 
  

  

  The 
  majority 
  of 
  Foraminifera 
  are 
  of 
  such 
  world-wide 
  distribu- 
  

   tion 
  that, 
  although 
  the 
  soundings 
  are 
  few 
  compared 
  to 
  the 
  vast 
  

   area 
  of 
  the 
  oceanic 
  basins, 
  large 
  portions 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  still 
  en- 
  

   tirely 
  unexplored, 
  new 
  expeditions 
  will 
  not 
  greatly 
  increase 
  the 
  

   number 
  of 
  species, 
  but 
  will 
  rather 
  give 
  more 
  precisely 
  their 
  areal 
  

   limits 
  and 
  dependence 
  upon 
  environment. 
  It 
  is 
  in 
  these 
  respects 
  

   that 
  the 
  Albatross 
  report 
  has 
  its 
  chief 
  value, 
  yet 
  it 
  embraces 
  

   many 
  features 
  which 
  make 
  it 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  contribution 
  to 
  

   the 
  subject 
  since 
  the 
  Challenger 
  report 
  of 
  1884. 
  The 
  latter 
  

   included 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  one 
  hundred 
  and 
  forty 
  stations 
  observed 
  

   by 
  the 
  Challenger 
  naturalists, 
  twenty-four 
  of 
  these 
  being 
  in 
  the 
  

   north 
  Atlantic, 
  with 
  sixty-eight 
  recorded 
  by 
  other 
  expeditions 
  

   from 
  points 
  surrounding 
  the 
  British 
  isles, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  Arctic 
  ocean. 
  

   The 
  present 
  report, 
  on 
  the 
  contrary, 
  includes 
  observations 
  from 
  

   ninety-two 
  stations, 
  of 
  which 
  fifty-eight 
  are 
  from 
  the 
  north 
  

   Atlantic, 
  twenty-one 
  from 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Mexico, 
  and 
  seven 
  from 
  

   the 
  Caribbean 
  sea. 
  Into 
  the 
  last 
  two 
  areas 
  the 
  Challenger 
  ex- 
  

   pedition 
  did 
  not 
  go. 
  

  

  The 
  title 
  of 
  Flint's 
  memoir 
  hardly 
  indicates 
  its 
  value, 
  as 
  the 
  

   report 
  is 
  really 
  a 
  volume 
  supplemental 
  to 
  that 
  by 
  Brady. 
  It 
  con- 
  

   sists 
  of 
  a 
  short 
  preface 
  and 
  introduction, 
  and 
  an 
  analytical 
  key 
  to 
  

   the 
  families 
  and 
  genera 
  of 
  the 
  Foraminifera, 
  which 
  to 
  the 
  student 
  

   having 
  only 
  a 
  slight 
  knowledge 
  of 
  this 
  subject 
  should 
  be 
  of 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  assistance. 
  Detailed 
  descriptions 
  of 
  the 
  families, 
  genera, 
  

   and 
  species 
  are 
  then 
  given 
  and 
  these 
  are 
  followed 
  by 
  the 
  plates. 
  

   The 
  last 
  are 
  worthy 
  of 
  especial 
  mention, 
  being 
  reproductions 
  

   from 
  photographs 
  of 
  two 
  hundred 
  and 
  ninety-nine 
  species 
  belong- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  seventy-two 
  genera, 
  the 
  original 
  specimens 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  

   on 
  exhibition 
  in 
  the 
  National 
  Museum. 
  

  

  These 
  photographs 
  are 
  to 
  a 
  uniform 
  enlargement 
  of 
  fifteen 
  

   diameters, 
  a 
  plan 
  which 
  should 
  aid 
  in 
  the 
  ready 
  determination 
  of 
  

   species, 
  since 
  the 
  size 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  form 
  is 
  evident 
  at 
  a 
  glance. 
  

   Besides 
  being 
  clear 
  and 
  sharp, 
  the 
  reproductions 
  are 
  characterized 
  

   by 
  a 
  striking 
  relief 
  and 
  truthfulness. 
  Brady's 
  classification 
  is 
  

   adopted 
  bodily 
  and 
  the 
  species 
  are 
  arranged 
  on 
  the 
  plates 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  

   best 
  bring 
  out 
  their 
  relationships. 
  

  

  Among 
  the 
  Foraminifera 
  the 
  transition 
  of 
  forms 
  is 
  so 
  nearly 
  

   complete 
  that 
  any 
  classification 
  into 
  orders 
  is 
  bound 
  to 
  separate 
  

   genera 
  which 
  are 
  closely 
  related. 
  This, 
  however, 
  is 
  a 
  difficulty 
  to 
  

   be 
  anticipated 
  in 
  every 
  branch 
  of 
  natural 
  history 
  as 
  the 
  extinct 
  

   progenitors 
  become 
  better 
  known. 
  In 
  such 
  cases 
  the 
  best 
  ultimate 
  

   solution 
  may 
  be 
  to 
  establish 
  several 
  basal 
  or 
  primitive 
  orders, 
  

   with 
  the 
  understanding 
  that 
  their 
  boundaries 
  are 
  not 
  the 
  well- 
  

   defined 
  limits 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  separated 
  groups 
  of 
  later 
  and 
  better 
  

   differentiated 
  descendants. 
  But 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  likely 
  that 
  a 
  classifica- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  Foraminifera 
  better 
  than 
  Brady's 
  will 
  soon 
  be 
  made. 
  

  

  The 
  present 
  catalogue 
  no 
  doubt 
  could 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  more 
  

  

  