156 THE LAST CRUISE OF THE CARNEGIE 



demands of the magnetic survey and oceanographic investigations 

 was the omission of night stations for collecting plankton. The 

 minute creatures show pronounced diurnal vertical migrations, 

 and only by towing silk-nets repeatedly during the twenty-four 

 hours can we get an undistorted picture of their distribution. 

 But our time and our personnel were so limited that all idea of 

 heaving- to at night was given up. The important studies in the 

 marine biology of the future will be physiological. There is 

 little to be gained by identifying new species when we are so poorly 

 acquainted with those already named. 



On November 11 we first sighted the Galapagos Group. It 

 was cruel to pass these intriguing islands without stopping off, 

 but the delay in getting clear of the Gulf made that out of the 

 question. We sailed close to the barren shores on the next day, 

 but saw no signs of life except the sea-birds. From the view ob- 

 tained from a passing ship one would never dream that the islands 

 are a paradise for the biologist. As we rushed by, a fresh trade- 

 wind filling the sails, we dragged up our belongings to dry in the 

 warm sun. Mildew had begun to do its work on our clothes and 

 books, after their long exposure to the wet weather of the Gulf. 



On the unlucky 13th, the heavy currents and strong winds 

 encountered in this vicinity almost took their toll. To start 

 things wrong the bottom-snapper failed to close. Then followed a 

 grand mix-up of our wires. The plankton-pump lowered on the 

 starboard side fouled the bottle-series. So great was the strain on 

 the bottle- wire that it parted when we tried to reel it in. When 

 the accident happened there were still four bottles with eight 

 thermometers out, and we faced a serious loss. There had not 

 been time, of course, for replacements to arrive after our Caribbean 

 disaster. 



With heavy hearts we brought up the plankton-pump. Then, 

 lo and behold, our bottles were seen coming up entangled with 

 it. The men on deck scarcely breathed as they leaned over the 

 side for a firm grip on the broken bottle-wire before the precious 

 instruments should make another attempt to get out of our 

 grasp. By cautious work everything was recovered. Captain 

 Ault says: 



