THE RESULTS of DEEP-SEA INVESTIGATION in thk 

 TASMAN SEA. 



I.— THE EXPEDITION of H.M.C.S. "MINER. 



1. Introductory Notk on the First Deep-Ska Cruise. 



By W. A. H.vswell, M.A., F.R.S., Professor of Biology in the 



University of Sydney, and C. Hedley, F.L.S., Conchologist, 



Australian Museum. 



Having been enabled by means of a grant from the Royal 

 Society of London to procure 3000 fathoms of steel-wire rope 

 (supplied at cost price by Messrs. Bullivant), and having been 

 granted, through the courtesy of Brigadier-General Gordon, C.B., 

 the use of H.M.C.S. " Miner" with a strong crew under the com- 

 mand of Lieut. -Colonel J. H. A. Lee, we made on 5th to 7th June a 

 first essay in deep-sea investigation in the Tasman Sea. The onlv 

 soundings on the chart outside the hundred fathom limit are 

 those recorded by the "Challenger" in 1874; and, depending 

 upon these, we made our first cast of the dredge when we had 

 reached a position distant about fifty-five miles due east of Port 

 Jackson Heads, expecting to reach bottom at a depth of about 

 2000 fathoms. This was unsuccessful, and, owing to the coming 

 on of lieavy weather, we were obliged to run in nearer to the 

 coast. Early on the morning of the 7th June the bucket-dredge 

 was let go in 80 fathoms, twenty-two miles east of Narrabeen, 

 and returned with a satisfactory load. Leaving this station the 

 vessel was steered about six miles east by south, and the trawl 

 was lowered in a depth of 200-300 fathoms. It brought up some 

 specimens of a Sea-urchin Porocidaris degans, A. Ag., obtained 

 by the " Cliallenger " at Station 164a, 410 fathoms, and Station 

 214, 500 fathoms, half-a-dozen specimens of a large Spatangid, as 

 yet undeterminefl, and an undetermined Pennatulid. As the 

 the weather still continued extremely rough we were obliged to 

 desist and return to poi't. 



During the dredging operations use was made of the surface 

 net, and at the farthest east limit a rich surface fauna was met 

 with, comprising Radiolaria, Foraminifera, a Vorticellid, Dino- 



