X PREFACE 



Humboldt Current. Owing to continual storms 

 the former was in such a disintegrated condition 

 that I soon decided to postpone detailed study until 

 a more favorable time. In the Pacific, to our sur- 

 prise, we found that there was absolutely no trace 

 of the Humboldt Current about the Galapagos. 

 The inexplicable absence of this great, cold, Ant- 

 arctic current was more than made up for by the 

 presence of equally unexpected natural conditions. 



Among the totally unexpected and inestimably 

 valuable phenomena — the high lights of the expe- 

 dition — were the great volcanic eruption on Albe- 

 marle (Chapter V) ; the albatross rookery on Hood 

 (Chapter IV) ; the remarkable results of hundreds 

 of dives in a copper helmet and bathing suit 

 (Chapters III, VII, IX, XI and XII) ; the dis- 

 covery in New York of a dramatic personage who 

 had sought pirate treasure on Cocos for two de- 

 cades (Chapter X) ; the temporary current rip in 

 mid-ocean (Chapter II) ; and the deep sea work 

 in the submerged Hudson Gorge, only one hundred 

 miles from New York City (Chapter XV). 



Finally, the accomplishment which, scientifically, 

 proved the most valuable of all, was the result of 

 my decision to make a ten-day stay in one spot 

 in mid-ocean, Station 74 (Chapters XIII and 

 XIV), where continual dredging yielded very re- 

 markable collections of fish and Crustacea, equiv- 

 alent to any two months of the less intensive work. 

 In fact the Crustacea taken at Station 74 equal 80% 

 of all the rest which we took in the Pacific. 



