232 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



forms, such as many of the characteristic southern 

 Bryozoa, and the curious genus Serolis among Crus- 

 taceans. Off Prince Edward's Island the dredge 

 brought up many large and strikiug specimens of 

 one or two species of Alcyonarian zoophytes, allied 

 to Mopsea and Isis. 



The trawl was put down in 1,375 fathoms on Dec 

 29, and in 1,600 fathoms on the 30th, between Prince 

 Edward's Island and the Crozets. The number of 

 species taken in these two hauls was very large, and 

 many of them belonged to especially interesting 

 genera, while many were new to science. There 

 occurred, with others, the well-known genera 

 Euplectella, Jlyalonema, JJmhelliilaria, Flahelhim, 

 two entirely new genera of stalked Criuoids belonging 

 to the Apiocrinidee, Pourtcdesia, several Spatangoids 

 new to science, allied to the extinct genus ^«««c/i///6s, 

 Salenia, several remarkable Crustaceans, and a few 

 fish. 



The Challenger reached Kerguelen Island on 

 Jan. 7, and remained there until Feb. 1. During that 

 time Dr. von Willemoes-Siihm was chiefly occupied 

 in working out the land fauna, Mr. Moseley collected 

 the plants, Mr. Buchanan made observations on the 

 geology of those parts of the island which v ere 

 visited, and Mr. Murray and Professor Thoi.ison 

 carried on the shallow-water dredging in the steam 

 pinnace. Many observations were made, and large 

 collections were stored. Two days before the expe- 

 dition left Kerguelen Island they trawled off the 

 entrance of Christmas Harbour, and the trawl-net 

 came up on one occasion nearly filled with large 

 cup-sponges belonging to the genus Rossella, of 

 Carter, and probably the species dredged by Sir 

 James Clark Ross near the ice-barrier, Rossella 

 antarctica. 



The Challenger reached Corinthian Bay in Yong 

 Island on the evening of the 6th, and all arrange- 

 ments had been made for examining it, as far as 

 possible, on the following day ; but a sudden change 

 of weather obliged Capt. Nares to put to sea. For- 

 tunately Mr. Moseley and Mr. Buchanan accompanied 

 Capt. Nares on shore for an hour or two on the 

 evening of their arrival, and took the opportunity 

 of collecting the plants and minerals within their 

 reach. The most southerly station was made on Feb. 

 14, lat. 65° 42' S., long. 79° 49' E. The trawl brought 

 up, from a depth of 1,675 fathoms, a considerable 

 number of animals, including Sponges, Alcyonarians, 

 Echinids, Bryozoa, and Crustacea, all much of the 

 usual deep-sea character, although some of the 

 species had not been previously observed. 



Professor Thomson gave a list of the various 

 classes of animals, from Sponges to Telcostci, that 

 were met with in nine successful dredgings, at 

 depths beyond 1,000 fathoms, between the Cape and 

 Australia. Many of them. Professor Thomson 

 states, are ncM^ to science, and some arc of great 

 interest from their relation to groups supposed to 



be extinct. This is particularly the case with the 

 Echinodermata, which are here, as in the deep water 

 in the north, a very prominent group. 



During the cruise special attention has been paid 

 to the nature of the bottom, and to any facts which 

 might throw light upon the source of its materials. 

 This department has been chiefly in the hands of 

 Mr. Murray ; and Professor Thomson gives the 

 following extracts from Mr. Murray's notes : — 



" In the soundings about the Augulhas Bank, in 

 100 to 150 fathoms, the bottom was of a greenish 

 colour, and contained many crystalline particles 

 (some dark-coloured and some clear) of Foraminifera, 

 species of Orbulina, Glohigerina, and Pulvimclina ; 

 a pretty species of Uvigeriiia, Planorhulina, MilioUua, 

 Bulmina, and Nummulina. There were very few 

 Diatoms. In the deep soundings and dredgings 

 before reaching the Crozets, in 1,900, 1,570, and 

 1,375 fathoms, the bottom was composed entirely of 

 OrhaUna, Glohigerina, and Pnlvinulina, the same 

 species which we get on the surface, but all of a 

 white colour and«dead. Of Foraminifera, which we 

 have not got on the surface, I noticed one Rotalia 

 and one Polystomella, both dead. Some Coccoliths 

 and Rhabdoliths were also found in the samples 

 from these soundings. On the whole, these bottoms 

 were, I think, the purest carbonate of lime we have 

 ever obtained. When the soundings were placed in 

 a bottle, and shaken up with water, the whole looked 

 like a quantity of sago. The P uhinulina: were 

 smaller than in the dredgings in tlie Atlantic. We 

 had no soundings between the Crozets and 

 Kerguelen. 



" The specimens of the bottom about Kerguelen 

 were all from depths from 120 to 20 fathoms, and 

 consisted usually of dark mud, with an offensive 

 sulphurous smell. Those obtained farthest from 

 laud were made up almost entirely of matted sponge- 

 spicules. In these soundings one species of Rotalina 

 and one other Foraminifera occurred. At 150 fathoms, 

 between Kerguelen aud Heard Island, the bottom 

 was composed of basaltic pebbles. The bottom at 

 Heard Island was much the same as at Kerguelen. 

 The sample obtained from a depth of 1,260 fathoms, 

 south of Heard Island, was quite different from 

 anything we have previously obtained. It was one 

 mass of Diatoms, of many species, and mixed with 

 these a few small Globigerinaj and Radiolariaus, and 

 a very few crystalline particles. The soundings and 

 dredgings while we were among the ice in 1,675, 

 1,800, 1,300, and 1,975, gave another totally distinct 

 deposit of yellowish clay, with pebbles and small 

 stones, and a considerable admixture of Diatoms, 

 Radiolariaus, aud Globigeriniie. The clay and pebbles, 

 were evidently a sediment from the melting icebergs, 

 and the Diatoms, Radiolariaus, and Foraminifera 

 were from the surface-waters. The bottom, from 

 1,950 fathoms, on our way to Australia from the 

 Antarctic, was again exactly similar to that obtained 



