176 



MEDITERRANEAN PROVINCE. 



than to climate," says Ed. Forbes. This he thinks 

 is due to the pouring in of the waters of the Black 

 Sea. This influence is uniform over the whole of 

 the Eastern Mediterranean, and has been stated by 

 Euprecht to be appreciable on the Syrian coast. 



Differences based on negative evidence are never 

 safe supports for any inferences ; indeed, unless the 

 amount of such evidence is very considerable, such 

 differences are hardly worth noticing. Comparing 

 what is known of the Molluscous fauna of the ex- 

 treme Eastern and Western portions of the Medi- 

 terranean, all those species procured by Ed. Forbes 

 from depths in the /Egean, such as have not been 

 dredged in other parts of that sea, must be care- 

 fully excluded. 



The Mediterranean fauna, however, being so 

 essentially Atlantic, it may reasonably be expected, 

 seeing the great eastern extension of this interna] 

 sea, that it should present a certain amount of de- 

 crease in that direction. A marine fauna which is 

 an offshoot of another must not be considered as the 

 definite result of one migration, but as an assem- 

 blage which has been constantly modified by the 

 slow extension of species. 



The reputed peculiarities of the eastern-division 

 Mollusks are C lavage! la halanorum, C. angulata, 

 and C. Melitensis, Thecidea Mediterranean Umbrella 

 Mediterranean Murex cristatus, Pedicidaria sicula, 

 Dolinm galea, Cassidaria Tyrrhena, and C. depressa, 

 Trochus Sprattii, Venerupis deciissata, Pecten Jaco- 



