CRUISES OF THE ''MICHAEL SARS" 99 



an immense tail. Our specimen was about 125 centimetres 

 long, of which the beak accounted for 8 centimetres, while the 

 distance from the corner of the mouth to the anus was 4 centi- 

 metres, the remainder being thus over a metre long. This 

 creature has been caught previously in both the Atlantic and 

 Pacific. 



After sounding at Station 58 in 1235 metres, we decided to 

 shoot our trawl. Hardly was it well out, however, before it 

 stuck fast, and brought the ship completely to anchor. We 

 availed ourselves of this circumstance to obtain some current 

 measurements, hauled in on the trawl-wire, and passed it forward 

 to the bow, being thus as it were riding on a warp. 



We commenced measuring the currents at midnight, and 

 went on till 3 p.m. next day, when we attempted to haul in the 

 trawl. Unfortunately, however, the wire parted, so that we 

 lost the trawl and 1500 metres of line as well. Still we had at 

 any rate succeeded in taking some measurements, our mode of 

 working being to have one current-meter constantly recording 

 velocities at 10 metres, while another current-meter was lowered 

 to different depths. The movement of the water-masses at 

 10 metres was a typically tidal one. In deep water, too, there Tidal currents 

 were relatively strong currents as far down as 800 metres, and "^J^^^ °p^" 

 distinct indications of tidal movements. Generally speaking, 

 the currents in deep water had an opposite motion to those of 

 the surface layers, but a fuller account will be found in Chapter V. 

 It is sufficient to state here that our expedition succeeded 

 in measuring currents out in the ocean at considerable depths, 

 and that we found tidal movements even at profound depths. 

 We anchored at Fayal on 13th June. 



One of the most interesting tasks of our expedition was to From the 

 take a section across the western basin of the North Atlantic j^ewfoimd- 

 from the Azores to North America. A section of the Gulf land. 

 Stream as far south as we could manage would, we felt sure, 

 be of value, and it would also be interesting to compare the 

 animal life which we had found in the eastern basin between 

 the Canaries and the Azores with that of the waters farther 

 west. Unfortunately the accident by which we lost our trawl 

 and 1500 metres of wire on the Azores plateau prevented us 

 from sweeping the greatest depths, but we were still in a 

 position to carry out pelagic experiments. 



It would have been desirable to set our course from the 

 Azores to the Bermudas, and then on to Boston, finishing with 



