CRUISES OF THE "MICHAEL SARS " 



^7 



pteropods, leptocephali (one of which displayed remarkable 

 pigment ; see Fig. 66), and cuttle-fish. There were besides a 

 few black fish {IdiacantJms ferox, Photostomias gtiernei\ see 

 Fig. 67). 



In the deep hauls at 1000 metres and 1500 metres there 

 were numerous very rare animals. For instance, we secured 

 specimens of the cuttle-fish Spirnla, and of the fish Melanocetus 

 krechi, the type of which had been discovered by the " Valdivia " 

 Expedition in the Indian Ocean, so far removed from the scene 

 of its recapture. Again, 

 Aceratias macrorhimts indictts, 

 a small brown fish (28 mm. 

 long; see Fig. 68), and Cyema 

 atrum (Fig. 69), had hitherto 

 only been met with in the 

 Pacific and Indian Oceans, 

 and off the coast of Morocco. 

 It was extremely interesting to find at one spot all these proofs 

 of the wide distribution of such " rare " pelagic fishes. 



At Station 47 we sounded in 5160 metres. Trawling was 

 tried, but was a failure, as the trawl got out of order and merely 

 captured a sea-pen {^Umbelhda gilnthcri). During the night we 

 sighted a turtle, which was thus about 250 nautical miles from 

 the nearest land, the island of Palma. 



At Station 48 we made another attempt at trawling. The 

 big trawl was dropped with 8750 metres of wire at 11.20 a.m. 



Fig. 68. 



Aceratias macrorhinus indiciis, A. Br. 



Nat. size, 2.8 cm. 





Fig. 69. 



Cyema atnim, Gthr. Nat. size. 



At 2.50 P.M. we commenced hauling in, and the trawl came up 

 at 9 P.M. This time everything seemed to have gone right, 

 for the trawl apparently went down and came up again in Trawling ii 

 full working order. Strangely enough, the catch was meagre ^^^'^p '''^'^'• 

 in the extreme, consisting of half a barrel of ooze, a number of 

 pumice fragments, the earbone (bulla tympanica) of a whale, 

 two sharks' teeth [Cai'ckarodon and Oxy rhino), a fragment of a 

 nautilus shell, two holothurians, about ten pteropod shells, an 

 'antipatharian, a sertularian, Umbellula, six fishes {^AlepocephahiSy 

 Malacoste2ts indicus, Argyropeleciis, leptocephalus in its transition 

 stage from the larval form, a new form resembling Ipnops 



