Legg on Sponge Sand. 
21 
with my friend Mr. Woodward, in walking over the Small- 
mouth Sand, which is situate on the north side of Portland 
Bay, we observed the surface of the sand to be distinctly 
marked with white ridges, extending many yards in length, 
and parallel with the edge of the water. Upon examining 
portions of these we found that they consisted of Foraminifera 
in considerable abundance, and, upon scraping up a quantity 
of it carefully with a card, we obtained in a short time a 
bottleful of material which contained thousands and probably 
millions of these minute shells. 
My friend Mr. Cocken, during a recent residence at 
Brighton, was very successful in obtaining a considerable 
quantity of the Foraminifera from the surface of the mud 
exposed by the receding tide in Shoreham Harbour ; and here 
also the surface only should be taken, in order to have a large 
proportion of shells. 
It is very well known to many of our Members that the 
ouze from the oyster beds yields a very fair proportion of 
Foraminifera and other materials for microscopic examination, 
and I am inclined to think from these evidences that the sur- 
face, and the surface alone, of sand or mud banks will yield 
satisfactory results. And I should recommend to all those 
who contemplate collecting for themselves, or employing others 
to do so for them, to take only the surface, being convinced 
that a few spoonfuls obtained in this way will yield more 
than a spadeful taken indiscriminately. My view of this is 
also confirmed by the large amount of shells in the sponge 
sand, for being taken from the sea-shores, that which is 
gathered up with them is such as occurs only on the surface. 
I think it also very probable that a locality sheltered from the 
direct action of the sea would be more favourable for finding 
these organisms than a bold shore exposed to all the violence 
of the wind and waves. 
If these conjectures should be borne out by experience, it 
is to be hoped that the increased facilities of finding their 
habitats will lead to extended observations on their living 
economy, a subject rendered extremely interesting by the 
papers of Mr. Williamson and the writings of Dr. Carpenter 
and others, where the subjects of their structure and zoological 
position are very ably discussed. 
The species of Foraminifera are so numerous that the mere 
mention of 575 species described by D'Orbigny as peculiar 
to the torrid zone, 350 species to the temperate zone, and 75 
species to the frigid zone, sufficiently attests their abundance, 
and the samples of sand which have come under my own 
observation from the Caramatta Strait in the China Sea, from 
