HARDWICKE'S SC lENCE-GOSSIP. 



223 



in the 1,260 fiithoms sounding south of Heard 

 Island. The bottom at 1,800 fathoms, a little farther 

 to the north (lat. 50° 1' S., long. 123° 4' E.), was 

 again pure 'Globigerina-oozc,' composed of OrbuliiKC, 

 Glohigerhm, and PuhhiuliiKe. 



"The bottom at 2,150 fathoms (lat. 47° 25' S., 

 long. 130° 32' E.) was similar to the last, with a 

 reddish tinge, and that at 2,G00 fathoms (lat. 42° 

 42' S., long. 134° 10' E.) was reddish clay, the same 

 which we got at like depths in the Atlantic, and 

 contained manganese nodules and much decomposed 

 Eoraminifera." 



Mr. Murray, Prof. Thomson goes on to say, " has 

 been induced by the observations wliicli have been 

 made in the Atlantic, to combine the use of the 

 towing-uet at various depths from the surface to 150 

 fathoms, with the examination of the samples from 

 the soundings. And this double work has led him 

 to a conclusion (in which I am now forced entirely 

 to concur, although it is certainly contrary to my 

 former opinion) that the bulk of the material of the 

 bottom in deep water is in all cases derived from 

 the surface. 



" Mr. Murray has demonstrated the presence of 

 Globigeringe^ Pulvinulinse, and Urbuliuoe throughout 

 ail the upper layers of the sea over the whole of the 

 area where the bottom consists of ' Globigeriua- 

 ooze ' or of the red clay produced by the decom- 

 position of the shells of Eoraminifera; and their 

 appearance when living on the surface is so totally 

 different from that of the shells at the bottom, that 

 it is impossible to doubt that the latter, even 

 although they frequently contain organic matter, 

 are all dead. I mean tiiis to refer only to the 

 genera mentioned above, which particularly form 

 the ooze. Many other Eoraminifera undoubtedly 

 live in comparatively small numbers, along with 

 animals of higher groups, on the bottom." It is 

 very curious to note that in the extreme south the 

 conditions were so severe as greatly to interfere 

 with all work. "We had," Prof. Thomson says, 

 " no arrangement for heating the workrooms, and 

 at a temperature which averaged for some days 

 25° Eahr., the instruments became so cold that it 

 was unpleasant to handle them, and the vapour of 

 the breath condensed and froze at once upon glass 

 and brass work. Dredging at the considerable 

 depths which we found near the Antarctic circle 

 became a severe and somewhat critical operation, 

 the gear being stiffened and otherwise affected by 

 the cold, and we could not repeat it often. 



"The evening of Eeb. 23 was remarkably fine 

 and calm, and it was arranged to dredge on the 

 following morning. The weather changed some- 

 what during the night, and the wind rose. Captain 

 Nares was, however, most anxious to carry out our 

 object, and the dredge was put over at 5 a.m. We 

 were surrounded by icebergs, the wind continued 

 to rise, and a thick snow-storm came on .from the 



south-east. After a time of some anxiety the 

 dredge was got in all right ; but, to our great dis- 

 appointment, it was empty — probably the drift of 

 the ship and the motion had prevented its reaching 

 the bottom. In the mean time the wind had risen 

 to a whole gale, force = 10 in the squalls, the ther- 

 mometer fell to 21°'5 Eahr., the snow drove in a 

 dry blinding cloud of exquisite star-like crystals, 

 which burnt the skin as if they had been red-hot, 

 and we were not sorry to be able to retire from the 

 dredging-bridge. 



"The specific gravity of the water has been 

 taken daily by Mr. Buchanan ; and during the trip 

 Mr. Buchanan has determined the amount of car- 

 bonic acid in 25 different samples— 15 from the 

 surface, 7 from the bottom, and 2 from intermediate 

 depths. The smallest amount of carbonic acid was 

 found in surface-water on Jan. 27, near Kerguelen ; 

 it amounted to 0'0373 gramme per litre. The 

 largest amount, 0'0S29 gramme per litre, was found 

 in bottom-water on Eeb. 14, when close to the 

 Antarctic ice. About the same latitude the amount 

 of carbonic acid in surface-water rose to the un- 

 usual amount of 0"0656 gramme per litre ; in all 

 other latitudes it ranged between 0'044 and 0'054 

 gramme per litre. Erom the greater number of 

 these samples the oxygen and nitrogen were ex- 

 tracted, and sealed up in tubes. 



" While we were among the ice all possible 

 observations were made on the structure and com- 

 position of icebergs. We only regretted greatly 

 that we had no opportunity of watching their birth, 

 or of observing the continuous ice-barrier from 

 which most of them have the appearance of having 

 been detached. The berg- and floe-ice was exa- 

 mined with the microscope, and found to contain 

 the usual Diatoms. Careful drawings of the dif- 

 ferent forms of icebergs, of the positions which 

 they assume in melting, and of their intimate 

 structure, were made by Mr. Wild, and instan- 

 taneous photographs of several were taken from 

 the ship." 



A SIMPLE MAEINE AQUARIUM. 



THE increasing popularity of marine aquaria, 

 and the difficulty of obtaining the best kind 

 of tank, except at a high price, has induced me to 

 write the following for the benefit of any amateur 

 aquarian who, like myself, is not encumbered with 

 a long purse. 



I commenced my experiences as an aquarian 

 about two years ago, using as a home for my stock 

 of anemones a milkpail, a circular glass dish with 

 sloping sides, twelve inches in diameter and four 

 inches deep, to which, as my stock increased, I 

 added three earthen pans. All these answered very 

 well so far as the health of the live stock was'con- 



