SURFACE-FAUNA OF THE AllCTIC SEAS. 



125 



a continuous circle, and were not broken into three groups as in 

 the Sagittce described by Huxley. 



The Peridinea of Melville Bay were of at least three species; 

 without reference I can identify but one of them, namely Ceratium 

 tripos. The others were comparatively rare ; but this lufusorian 

 was present in such extraordinary abundance that the cotton filters 

 were generally choked in a few minutes. The most northern spe- 

 cimens were met with at our turning-point in Buchanan Strait. 



The most northern living Badiolarian was an Acanthometrina 

 captured in Davis Straits ; but empty skeletons of Dictyoclia 

 were occasionally caught by the cotton filter in Baffin's Sea ; and 

 Eadiolarian fragments were not uncommon in the " floeberg dust " 

 of the far north. A Grregarina, apparently Pyxinia, was found 

 entangled in a mass of awned Diatomaceae in Allman Bay. 



In connexion with the absence of surface-life under the ice, I 

 may observe that a Sagitta and two Copepods exposed in a cell 

 under the microscope and allowed to freeze were killed in a few 

 minutes ; death occurred before the more salt parts of the water 

 crystallized. ISTo living animal organism of any kind was found 

 in the polar ice ; but Diatomacese with endochrome still retaining 

 its colour were once or twice met with in the floebergs, and were 

 not uncommon in the large white flocculi set free to sink when the 

 ship " rammed" her way amongst the more southern floes. 



Postscript. April 1878. 



The specimens of Copepoda referred to have since been named 

 by the Eev. A. M. N'orman, and the Discovery-Harbour Medusa 

 has been placed in a new genus by Professor Allman. For both 

 see Sir George Nares's Appendix*. 



The polar FleurohrancJiia was a young specimen of P. rliododac- 

 iyla, Agassiz. 



The Nanomia was probably N. cava, A. Agassiz. Identification, 

 however, depends only on the sketch ; for the specimen bottled by 

 Captain Feilden has fallen to pieces. 

 The Appendicularia are : — 

 Oikopleura rufescens^ Pol. 

 Fritillaria furcata, var., Pol. 

 The Melville-Bay Peridinea include : — 



Ceratium tripos, var. y (slender and unserrated), Claparede 

 and Lachmann. 

 * Narrative of a Vojnge to the Polar Sea, 1875-7*'). 



