184 ANIMAL LIFE OF THE DEEP SEA BOTTOM 



a bristle-worm (same species as in the Sunda Trench), six echiuroid 

 worms, some piddocks in a screw-pine fruit which had sunk to the bot- 

 tom, and a rather large amphipod. In the second trawl, at 6,600 metres, 

 there was only a sea-spider (the deepest ever caught), some piddocks in 

 a sunken piece of wood, and a number of bristle-worms. 



This was a rather varied fauna covering 18 species; but in view of the 

 rich grab sample, which yielded four species of bristle-worms (see page 

 198), it was rather a disappointment not to find a wealth of individuals 

 like that in the Sunda Trench. 



Unfortunately, our reserves of oil hardly allowed us sufficient time in 

 the New Britain Trench, especially since the configuration around the 

 maximum depths of 9,000 metres proved very irregular. Here, apparently, 

 there was no long, straight stretch with a level bed, and we lacked the time 

 to familiarize ourselves with the special slope echoes which in the Philip- 

 pine Trench had stood us in such good stead in differentiating between 

 the two steep sides of the deep. 



However, we tackled the job; and were forced to abandon three at- 

 tempts to get the sledge-trawl to the bottom because we failed to keep 

 the depth and drifted over the slopes. Nevertheless, there was a good 

 deal about the two trawls which was successful; namely, 93 sea-cucumbers 

 (three species) and some semi-transparent organisms attached to a stone. 

 This was not many species; but the main point, that for the fourth time 

 we had found numerous bottom animals in a trench never before fished, 

 was itself an important result . . . 



Sea-spider (Nymphon), with a span of seven centimetres, 

 found at a depth of 6,4go metres in the Banda Trench. 



