FISHING IN THE HUDSON'S GORGE 381 



It looked as first as though we should have to 

 imagine the old Hudson canyon filled with dilute 

 jelly, but on sorting over the hosts of salpae the 

 more interesting creatures of the deep began to 

 appear. Although in the short time at my disposal 

 I was able to make only a few hauls, yet in this 

 Hudson River gorge I took thirty-two kinds of 

 deep sea fish, somei of which are new to science. 

 These were represented by seven hundred and six- 

 tj^-eight individuals. The most abundant were the 

 delicate little CyclotJione — pale ones living in 

 abundance at three to four hundred fathoms, while 

 larger black species were more abundant from 

 five to nine hundred fathoms. They were as del- 

 icate as tissue paper, with series of lights along the 

 body and relatively enormous mouths with which 

 they engulfed the tiniest of swimming creatures. 

 When they came up they looked like minute bits 

 of string stuck to the nets, but floated gently out 

 in water all their exquisite structure and illuminat- 

 ing apparatus became visible. 



From four hundred fathoms down we secured 

 deep water forms of the Myctophid fishlets which 

 we took at the surface after dark. Some had glor- 

 iously brilliant gill-covers, with the eyes scarlet or 

 green. In the lower mid-depths appeared the cu- 

 rious, elongate Chauliodus and Stomias, with glis- 

 tening scales, huge mouths and enormoush^ lo^ig 

 teeth. Blue-eyed flounders came up, packed safe- 

 ly among the salpee, and eels never seen at the 

 surface or in any light of day. Some of these were 

 sturdily built, with smooth skin of glistening 



