24 FIELD COLUMBIAN MUSEUM -ZOOLOGY, VOL. VII. 



1:55 P. M. Put dredge over again. 



2:15 P. M. Hove dredge up, and lowered it again; as it had nothing 

 in it, shifted steamer's position to the S. E. % of a mile from 

 marking buoy. 



2:50 P. M. Sounded 28 fathoms of water; caught from the bottom 

 sharks, red snappers, rockfish, hamlet and hind with hook and 

 line. 



3:05 P. M. Hoisted our large dredge up nearly empty again; bottom 

 even, hard, level, and rocky, bringing up small matter such as 

 shells and hydro ids, also many nodules. 



3:25 P. M. We used our No. 2 dredge to bottom. 



3:40 P. M. Hoisted it up with windlass and derrick. 



3:50 P. M. Lowered No. 2 dredge again, the steamer backing and 

 dragging dredge out ahead. 



4: 20 P.M. Hoisted dredge from bottom; made a good catch of 

 crabs, starfish, brittle stars and nodules. 



Wind increased to strong breeze, sea rough and steamer 

 jumping heavily into a deep ocean swell. 



Fish bite readily on small bait of fish; bottom even and 

 rocky. 



The sailors having lines overboard and putting in every 

 spare minute when not handling the dredge. Fish plentiful. 



4: 25 P. M. No holding ground, and we feel our anchor now let go, 

 with 80 fathoms hawser, dragging along over a pebble and 

 nodule bottom. 



4:30 P. M. In 28 fathoms of water, sea getting rougher and steam- 

 er's deck wet fore and aft. 



Anchor would not hold on bottom with 100 fathoms of 

 hawser out, so that we drifted off soundings. 



5:30 P. M. Hove in our cable, and steamed back again for 3 miles, 

 steering S. W. % S. from the N. E. edge of soundings, to wind- 

 ward. 



6 P. M. Wind S. W. stronger, now upon the middle of the "Chal- 

 lenger Bank," anchored again with largest anchor but again 

 dragged this anchor, steamed to the S. W. 2 miles more, where 

 the anchor caught in 28 fathoms, rock, smooth bottom. Fish 

 biting lively and decks are strewn with them, and sharks plentiful. 



10 P. M. Anchor 'holds in 28 fathoms, same bottom; all over this 

 bank soundings do not vary four fathoms, ranging from 28 to 

 32 fathoms; rock bottom and teeming with fish. 



10 P. M. It now begins to blow hard, the sea is high, barometer 

 unsteady, and steamer rolling and jumping; water shipping 



