Xanr intet Hensyn tåges til en Del almindelige Ar- 

 ter, der indsamledes paa ringe Dyb under Opboldet ved 

 de norske Kyster, udgjør Antallet af de erholdte Dybvands- 

 fiske under disse 2 første Aar: i 1876 1 Art (1 Individ), 

 i 1877 10 Arter (17 Individer). Uagtet sin Faatallighed 

 have disse dog indeholdt Former af ikke ubetydelig Interesse. 

 Dette havde ikke alene sin Grund deri, at de tildels stam- 

 mede fra Dele af Nordhavet, der i ichthyologisk Henseende 

 vare saagodtsom ubekj endte (saaledes Trakterne omkring 

 Jan Mayen); men af de indsamlede Specimina fandtes Arter, 

 der i det Hele vare kun lidet bekjendte, saaledes som Un- 

 gerne af Lycodes esmarkii, Coll.. og af den senere som ny 

 beskrevne' Lycvdes frigidus; fremdeles Careproctus reinhardt, 

 Kr. og Onos septemtrionalis, (Coll.). Endelig var en enkelt, 

 Lycodes mwraena, tidligere ubeskreven. 



Da det ichthyologiske Udbytte saaledes under de 2 

 første Togter havde i det Hele været mindre, end paa- 

 regnet, blev der under Udrustningen til det sidste Togt, i 

 1878, lagt speciel Vægt paa Anskaffelsen af saadanne Appa- 

 rater, der ikke blot vare skikkede til at ojfiiente de for- 

 skjellige Evertebrater fra de største Dybder, men tillige 

 kunde medbringe Dybvandsfiske, som det maatte antages 

 heller ikke her ganske manglede, naar blot Apparaterne 

 vare istand til at opbringe dem. Et Trawlnet af ganske 

 betydelige Dimensioner blev derfor indrettet væsentlig til 

 dette Brug. og ved en sindrig Mechanisme ombord paa 

 Skibet blev Linens Spænding modereret under Skrabningen ; 

 men da et Fangeapparat af denne Construction neppe med 

 Fordel kan benyttes, uden hvor Bunden er flad, og bestaar 

 af Ler eller Sand, blev dets Anvendelse i det Hele ind- 

 skrænket til et mindre Anta] Kast, hvor Bundforholdene 

 tillode dette. Var Bunden stenet eller ujevn, blev Trawl- 

 nettet ikke benyttet; ikke destoniindre kom det flere Gange 

 op sønderflænget eller knækket. naar det tilfeldigvis var 

 kommen til at berøre et klijtpefuldt Strøg af Bunden; ved 

 én Lejlighed tabtes den hele Trawl tilligemed et Par Tu- 

 sinde Favne Tougvark. 



Denne Anvendelse af Trawlnettet paa de dertil egnede 

 Localiteter kronedes med et uventet Held. Neppe nogen- 

 sinde gik Trawlen ned, uden at medbringe Fiske, under- 

 tiden blot enkelte, men oftest flere. Den Dybde, hvori 

 den nedsendtes, var forskjellig, men gik lige ned til mellem 

 1300 og 1400 Favne. Aldeles uventet var det at tinde 

 Slægten Lycodes, hvoraf hidtil, som bekjendt, et kun ganske 

 indskrænket Antal Individer ere kjendte, skjønt Slægten er 

 repræsenteret ved forholdsvis ikke faa Arter, udbredt paa 

 de fleste undersøgte Localiteter, hvor Dybden var nogen- 

 lunde betydelig; saaledes erholdtes alene af en enkelt Art 

 (L. frigidus, n. sp.) ikke mindre end 15 Individer, de fleste 

 fra en Dybde af mellem 600 og 1300 Favne, eller derover, 

 og næsten alene paa Steder, hvor Våndets Temperatur gik 

 ned til under O". 



Ialt erholdtes denne Gang af Lycoder 25 Individer, 

 tilhørende 6 Arter, hvoraf 3 vare tidligere ubeskrevne, og 

 1 beskreven under Beretningen om foregaaende Aars Togt. 



Exclusive of a few of the commoner forms taken at a 

 trifling depth off the coast of Norway, the number of 

 deep-sea fishes obtained on the two first voyages was 18, 

 comprising 11 species: in 1876, 1 species (1 individual), in 

 1877. 10 species (17 individuals). But this result, though 

 comparatively meagre, afforded forms of very considerable 

 interest, — a circumstance to be explained not only by 

 the habitat of several among them lying in tracts of the 

 Northern Ocean hitherto unexplored by ichthyologists, 

 certain of the species secured were likewise of rare occur- 

 rence, and in themselves but little known ; for instance, the 

 young of Lycodes esmarkii, Coll., and of Lycodes frigidus, 

 since described as a new species ; moreover, Careproctus rein- 

 hard/, Kr., and Onos septemtrionalis, (Coll.); finally, fjycodes 

 murcena, a species not previously described. 



Thus, the ichthyological results from the two first 

 voyages having on the whole proved less satisfactory than 

 anticipated, great importance was attached, when fitting 

 out the Expedition for the final voyage, in 1878, to the 

 possibility of procuring apparatus which should be adapted not 

 only for securing the various species of invertebrate animals 

 there met with, but also for bringing up deep-sea fishes, 

 which there was reason to belie,ve would be found to occur, 

 were suitable apparatus employed for taking them. A 

 trawl-net of very considerable dimensions was therefore con- 

 structed, principally with the above object in view, an ingenious 

 piece of mechanism regulating from the deck of the vessel 

 the strain on the line. But fishing-apparatus of this charac- 

 ter could not however, be employed except for traversing a 

 smooth bottom of clay or sand, and its use was accordingly 

 confined to some few hauls in specially favourable locals 

 ities. Wheresoever, the bottom proved rugged or uneven, 

 recourse was not had to the trawl-net; but notwithstanding 

 the care thus displayed to prevent accidents, it came up 

 several times in a damaged state, with the meshes torn or 

 the boom broken, having chanced to strike against some 

 rocky projection ; nay, on one occasion the entire trawl was 

 lost, together with a couple of thousand fathoms of rope. 



The use of the trawl-net in localities for which it -is 

 adapted met with eminent and unlooked-for success. Fishes 

 were brought up at well nigh every haul, sometimes indeed 

 two or three only, but more frequently a larger number. 

 The net was worked at various depths, the greatest to 

 which it was sunk being close upon 1400 fathoms. It 

 occasioned no little surprise to find the genus Lycodes, — 

 of which but a very limited number of individuals are as 

 yet known, notwithstanding this genus is represented com- 

 paratively by a good many species, — throughout most 

 of the localities investigated where the depth was consider- 

 able: thus, for instance. 15 examples were obtained of a single 

 species (L. frigid us. n. sp. ). the majority at depths ranging 

 from 600 to upwards of 1300 fathoms, and almost exclusively 

 in spots where the temperature of the water was below zero. 



The total number of Lycodes specimens was 25. 

 comprising 6 species, 'o- of which bad not previously been 

 described, and 1 for the first time in the Report of the 



