CRUISES OF THE "MICHAEL SARS " 



91 



so we now made the experiment. A line was set perpendicularly 

 with 1300 cod hooks, a fathom and a half apart (see Fig, 74), 

 and we also put out six cod nets. Only one fish was caught on 

 the line, at a depth of 550 metres, namely, Omostidis loivei 

 (Fig. 75), which Lowe captured at Madeira, and is recorded 

 by GUnther as having been found near the Philippines by the 



Fig. 75. 

 Omosiidis kncei, Gthr, Nat. size, 14.5 cm. 



" Challenger." A large ossified spine springs from its gill-cover 

 and extends right along the side of its body, and it has very 

 large teeth ; it has a beautiful silvery appearance. Our bait 

 (sprats) was unfortunately several months old, so that this 

 experiment cannot be regarded as in any way conclusive. 



In the nets there were three pilot-fish {^Naitcrates d2Lcto7% 



Fig. 76. 

 Naucrates diictor, L. Nat. size, 23 cm. 



Fig. 76), and under the boat when hauling in the nets a number 

 of fish were noticed, of which we saw a good many subsequently ; 

 they seemed to be plentiful near the surface of the sea, and two 

 species, Lirus ^naculahis (Fig. ']']^ and Lints oralis, were 

 eventually secured. 



At Station 51 we fell in with larger and smaller patches of 

 drifting Sargasso weed with the ordinary gulf-weed animals 

 clinging to it, such as small crabs, naked molluscs, and fishes 



