lOO 



DEPTHS OF THE OCEAN 



a series of short zig-zag sections between the land and the edge 

 of the coast-banks, till we reached Newfoundland. We should 

 in that case have been able to study the remarkable transition 

 that occurs on passing from the almost tropical conditions of 

 the Sargasso Sea to those of the icy Labrador Stream, which 

 creeps southwards along the Labrador coast from Baffin's Bay 

 to Newfoundland, and even farther south. The short time at 

 our disposal made this impossible, and we were compelled to 

 cross from the Azores to the nearest coaling station, namely 

 Newfoundland, and then make for home. 

 The mere distance between the 

 Azores and Newfoundland, between 

 1 200 and 1300 nautical miles, was a 

 serious consideration for our little vessel, 

 for we had to count upon meeting head- 

 winds and currents, especially when we 

 reached the Gulf Stream off the New- 

 foundland Bank ; and there was always 

 the possibility of fog delaying us. We 

 resolved accordingly to go westwards 

 towards the eastern boundary of the 

 Gulf Stream, and then turn northwards, 

 which would increase the distance to 

 1800 miles, but would offer better condi- 

 tions of wind and current. We should 

 also be enabled to visit again the Sar- 

 gasso Sea, the animal life of w^hich we 

 had found so interesting, and we should 

 further be able to take a section right 

 across the axis of the Gulf Stream. To 

 prepare for all emergencies we not only 

 filled our bunkers as full as they could hold with the best 

 Welsh coal, but also piled our decks with as much as we could 

 find room for. This done, we said farewell to Horta's little 

 harbour on the afternoon of 17th June. 



During the first two or three days of our journey west we 

 had wind and sea dead against us, so work was limited to 

 hydrographical observations at Stations 59 and 60 (see Chart, 

 Fig. 62). The weather afterwards cleared up, and at Station 61 

 we met with certain fishes, hitherto regarded as extremely 

 rare, swimming about on the surface of the Atlantic. On lower- 

 ing a boat to examine a drifting log overgrown with barnacles 

 (Fig. 87), we found it surrounded by fishes like those observed 



Fig. 87. 



Lepas anatifera. 



hi 



