NO. 1 HARTMAN, BARNARD: BENTHIC FAUNA OF DEEP BASINS 



METHODS 



All samples were taken with bottom closing devices, either an orange- 

 peel-grab with a capacity of about 88 liters and covering an area of about 

 0.24 square meter, or a Campbell grab with a capacity up to 162 liters, 

 covering a surface area of about 0.55 square meter. These grabs have 

 been described by Hartman (1955a). Samples taken from soft bottoms, 

 such as exist in the basins, were consistently large and the grabs were 

 more or less completely filled on recovery. Each sample was placed in a 

 large tub and volumetrically measured with the aid of a brass rule 

 immersed in the mud, then transferred to shaker screens where finer 

 sediments were washed away with the aid of overhead shower sprays. 

 The screenings were bottled and fixed with formalin, and further ana- 

 lyzed in the laboratory. It should be emphasized that figures and listings 

 are minimal, since only those organisms present in the final screenings 

 can be considered ; possible small losses occurred during the various pro- 

 cedures. 



The distribution of the samples by basin is reported in Table 1 and 

 Chart 1. 



