ANIMAL LIFE OF THE DEEP SEA BOTTOM 



183 



It is possible, and even probable, that these sea-cucumbers (Scotoplanes globosa) from the 

 Kermadec Trench, at 6,660 metres, spend most of their time buried in the bottom. Length 

 about eight centimetres. 



a Basso gi gas, a fish of the brotulid family (Fig. p. 185) about 17 centime- 

 tres long. This was the deepest live fish caught on the expedition, and 

 it was 1,100 metres deeper than any previously found fish. We took 

 the same species again when we passed through the Bali Strait, at 3,820 

 metres, in the sledge-trawl along with two other bottom-dwelling fishes, 

 which shows that this fish can live under very varying depths. 



All in all, the Sunda Trench gave a very rich yield, and sledge-trawls 

 at 3,820 and 3,000 metres nearby produced valuable material for the 

 study of the variation of fauna with the depths, a factor which, though we 

 had considered it, we had not dared to devote any time to in the Philip- 

 pine Trench, where we were over the greatest depth we should meet 

 with, according to the expedition's plans. 



In the next trench of the Banda Deep we also concentrated on trawhng 

 at the greatest depths, about 7,000 and 7,500 metres. Here we had to 

 consider our reserves of fuel oil, as there was no possibility of stocking up 

 before Port Moresby in New Guinea; but the weather was good and it 

 was fairly easy to find a suitably level bottom for fishing. The first 

 attempt with the sledge-trawl failed to reach the bottom, but the next 

 one, as well as two casts with the otter-trawl, gave quite a number of 

 bottom animals. In the deepest trawl, at 7,250 metres, we obtained 19 

 sea-cucumbers (at least three species), a sea-urchin (Echinothuria) and 

 parts of the shells of several others, some polyps (Stephanoscyphus) , 



