LOG OF THE ARCTURUS 421 



July 11th. Arrived at 30° North and 60° West, to make Station 96. 



The weed for to-day was far below the average of last three days. 

 One unusual condition was that a large percentage of it was submerged 

 quite deeply, appearing in good sized patches and new, but so obscured 

 by the water that nothing positive could be asserted of the pieces. 



Reached our chosen spot at 2 p. m. and sounded in 2875 fathoms. 

 This is Saturday, but we have declared it to be the crew's Sunday, so 

 that they can put in a full day's work to-morrow. 



A fairly calm sea, with practically no weed in sight, and several small 

 rain-storms passing close by. Everyone went swimming. 



Noon position: Lat. 29° 53' N: Long. 60° 18' W. 



July 12th. This seems something like a doldrum at last, — a smooth 

 blue sea, and scarcely a breath of breeze, and what there is, is hot. 

 Put down a Petersen and five meter nets and got less than in one net 

 in the Pacific. The best specimens were a small dark brown Sacco- 

 pharynx and a two-inch Remora, with many larval characters. 



Noon position: Lat. 30° 01' N: Long. 60° 03' W. 



July 13th. Stopped almost all day for vertical hauls. 

 Noon position: Lat. 30° 42' N: Long. 61° 16' W. 



July 14th. Another day of vertical hauls. 



A block came down on John's head, slicing his scalp in three places, 

 and Jay ran a rusty spike in his foot, and is now on crutches after 

 a tetanus injection. 



Noon position: Lat 31° 22' N: Long. 62° 35' W. 



July 15th. Hard rain last night. Chiriqui's cage blew off the library 

 deck and only by a miracle did not go completely overboard. 



Sighted Bermuda this afternoon amid squalls and skirted it during 

 dinner. Contrast with approach to one of our Pacific islands is strong, 

 — no boobies coming out to meet us, no sea-lions bobbing round us, and 

 the only life a few red-billed tropicbirds. 



Towed this evening and got only four small Myctophum coccoi. All 

 our observations in the Sargasso Sea show small individuals and few 

 species compared to the Pacific fauna. 



Reached the vicinity of Challenger Bank in evening. 



Noon position: Lat. 32° 06' N: Long. 64° 17' W. 



July 16th. Sounded in 25 fathoms, thirteen miles from land, which 

 is low on the horizon. Put out a big alcohol drum painted white to 

 serve as a guide and anchored it with 60 fathoms of rope. 



Made two fifteen-minute dredges on the bank and both times had the 

 nets badly torn. Almost no life but an abundance of large grey gor- 

 gonias, and many kinds of algae, such as thick heads, masses of small 

 round egg-like forms, a sargassum with flattened berries, flat lettuce 

 stuff, pale grey green with purple edges, plume shapes, masses of forms 

 like threads, etc. 



