LOG OF THE ARCTURUS 899 



the boat when dragged into it. White-striped angelfish floating on 

 their sides at the surface, always just out of reach, and taking no 

 interest in any bait. A bit of orange-peel, tossed into the water, 

 attracted several to nibble tentatively, but as soon as a hook was 

 added, they ceased to bite. Saw them rise to bird excrement as it 

 fell on the surface. Paranthias furcifer was the fish most easily taken 

 on the hook, and all round the boat noddy terns excitedly splashed; 

 dipping for and seldom missing the little rosy-red fish. From the 

 helmet's coign of vantage, the commonest fish was the yellow-tailed 

 Xesurus, moving slowly along in huge flocks. Large blennies are most 

 amusing, scurrying over the rocks like field mice. 



April 11th. At one o'clock this morning Mr. Tams, second officer, 

 woke us. In less than four seconds everyone who had heard him was 

 on the bridge. In the western sky was a rosy pulsation, now flaring 

 high, now dying to dimness. At first we thought it must be on James, 

 where the most recent volcanic activity has been, but it was event- 

 ually located on Albemarle. 



For the last two days the wind has veered to the south and even 

 to the southwest, blowing directly through the gap in the cliffs that 

 is the mouth of the bay. This is an unusual quarter for the wind to 

 come from in the Galdpagos, almost unheard of, and may be con- 

 nected with the volcanic outbreak. The anchor dragged and this 

 morning we were not much more than a ship's length from the cliffs. 

 If the southwest wind should strengthen, our position might be dan- 

 gerous, and the heavy surf breaking so near made us uneasy. So the 

 small boats were left on the beach, a quicker means of disposal than 

 waiting to hoist them all aboard, and we left Darwin Bay, volcano- 

 bound. 



Five miles off the bay we made Station 38, with splendid results. 

 Depth 550 fathoms. Two Petersen trawls brought up four-inch My- 

 ctophids, and an enormous Leptocephalus, as well as deep-sea Medu- 

 sae, shrimps, and some new Heteropods. A great many luminous 

 Myctophids taken in a surface net after dark, and several of them 

 lived for four or five hours. 



We steamed at half speed all night toward the increasing brilliance 

 of the volcano, which gradually assumed form. Very little sleep- 

 ing done. Toward morning we could see through the glasses the ac- 

 tual molten spots. Bright moonlight, a tranquil sea, and a heavy 

 low cloud reflecting the red-hot lava beneath it. 



Noon position: Lat. 0" 18' N: Long. 90° 03' W. 



April 12th. At dawn we were about six miles off-shore, and as the 

 sun rose every vestige of color seemed to be wiped out, though the 

 whole slope between the two northern mountains steamed and smoked. 

 Three miles from land the soundings gave us a mile and a quarter, 

 and two miles closer in, the water was over half a mile deep. Circled 

 slowly all day as near the coast as possible, while a small boat took 

 two of us ashore to try to reach the largest crater. Hours of in- 

 conceivably ghastly crawling, climbing, and falling over endless miles 



