NARRATIVE. 59 



12 minutes ; while a third (c) did Ly- inch in the same time. Both a and b travelled 

 at a greater rate at the beginning than towards the end of the time. 



In the green weed were also large numbers of a white Leucothoid Amphipod 

 (which Mr. Walker considers to be a new genus), some interesting new Caprellids, 

 and a good many llissoadike Gastropods about 7'5 millims. in length. Some specimens 

 of a small white Synapta were also brought up in the sand. 



In the afternoon we dredged and trawled from the "Lady Havelock " in the area 

 lying south-west of the Cheval Paar. All these hauls may be united as 



STATION XLVIL About 4 miles south of the West Cheval Paar; depth 8| to 

 9 fathoms ; bottom sand overgrown with green Alga; ; dredged. 



Phyllospongia holdsworthi, Axinella donnani ; 



Astropecten hemprichii, Amphiura sp. ; 



Sabetta phwotcenia, Serpula sp. ; various Crabs ; 



Pearl oysters (a few large and many very small), ApJysia pulmonica (!) ; 



Molgula sp. ; 



Fish both round and flat including Pegasus draeonis, Upeneoides tragula, 

 Gobius biocellatus, G. masoni, Teuthis oramin, Percis pulcheUa. 



On February 27th we joined Captain Donnan in the morning on board the barque 

 in order to see the work of the divers. During this and some following days two 

 sets of diving operations were carried on simultaneously. Four large whale boats, 

 each containing 10 or 12 natives under the charge of a tindal or boatswain, were 

 engaged in making a survey by means of concentric equidistant circles the boats 

 circling first within a distance of \ mile, then between \ and ^ mile, and finally 

 between ^ and f mile from the barque, which was anchored in the centre and 

 keeping their distances approximately by means of radially placed buoys bearing 

 flags. From these boats the divers went down at frequent intervals, and the result of 

 each dive was recorded by the tindal on a plan. At the same time we had a set of 

 two or three divers in the " Serendib" (fig. 10), and with these we took samples from 

 between the paars or in any other localities where we wanted further information to 

 supplement the results of the inspection boats. 



The ground we worked over this morning was mostly formed of dead coral and 

 Nullipore with some Sargassum and other Algse, the depth being 6 to 6|- fathoms. 

 Pearl oysters of two ages were found ; the larger being estimated at 3 years old and 

 the smaller size at 6 months (see fig. LI). The oysters were accompanied by great 

 quantities of small boring Gastropods (the " Oorie" of the divers) belonging to the 

 genei'a Purpura, Nassa, Sislrum, Pinaxia, Natica, Muvex and Turbinella (mostly 

 Sistrum spectrum and Pinaxia coronata), and in places were entangled in the byssus 

 nests of masses of "Suran" (Modiola barbata). A deep purple spreading sponge 

 (? Pachychalina multiformis), upon which were opisthobranchs of the same colour 

 (Aplysia sp.) was common. 



I 2 



