398 A. E. Verrill—Molhisea of the New England Coast. 



with, or largely composed of, hard, very irregular, flattened, crust- 

 like concretions of clay and iron-oxide, with more or less manganese- 

 oxide in the crevices and worm-burrows with which they are filled. 

 At some localities a barrelful, or more, of such masses was brought 

 up. They vary in size from a few ounces up to 20 pounds or more in 

 weight, and from one inch to six inches in thickness. These masses 

 afford attachments to many kinds of animals, including several 

 species of Brachiopods, Chitons, and other shells, which could not 

 exist on bottoms of soft ooze or mud. 



Rounded bowlders and pebbles of granite, gneiss and other crys- 

 talline rocks occurred at a number of stations. These, like the con- 

 cretions of clay, etc., often afford attachment for deep-sea Brachio- 

 pods and other shells, as well as for corals, gorgonians, hydroids, 

 sponges, etc. One bowlder, station 2208, is referred to above. The 

 following are other localities: station 2195, in 1058 fathoms, N. lat. 

 39° 44', W. long. 70° 03'. A rounded granite bowlder, about four 

 inches in diameter. Its surface was covered with adherent species of 

 foraminifera and some annelid-tubes. Station 222(3, in 2021 fathoms, 

 N. lat. '31° 00', W. long. 11° 54'. A large number of pebbles and 

 small, rounded bowlders of granite, porphyry, etc., and some coal 

 cinders. The pebbles were more or less covered with adherent 

 forminifera, bryozoa, etc. Scattered bowlders and pebbles have 

 also occurred at many other localities along the inner edge of the 

 Gulf Stream. These have probably all been carried out there by the 

 ice floating away from the adjacent coasts in spring.* 



of irregular crusty and cavernous concretions and masses of ferruginous clay, with 

 considerable black manganese-oxide lining the holes and cracks. The lower side of 

 many of the masses consisted of sticky bluish clay. It was estimated that about a 

 ton of this material came up. There were adhering to these hard masses some 

 corals, gorgonians, hydroids and bryozoa, with the brachiopods, Discina Atlantica and 

 Waldheimia cranium, in considerable numbers. 



* A curious instance, quite unique in our experience, of the occurrence of abundant 

 relics of human handiwork was observed this year. At station 2222, in 1537 fathoms, 

 N. lat. 39° 03' 15", W. long. 70° 50' 45", beneath the Gulf Stream, a large quantity of 

 common bricks, with mortar and soot still adhering to them, was brought up in the 

 trawl. Some were nearly entire, but most were in fragments. Annelid tubes, brach- 

 iopods, and other forms of deep-sea life were attached to them in smaU quantities, 

 showing that they had not lieen on the bottom very long. One of the Brachiopods, 

 which occurred on the bricks in considerable numbers, is Atretia gnomon J., which 

 had not been previously recorded from off our coast. These bricks may have come 

 from a wreck, or they may have formed the deck-furnace of some whaling vessel, 

 thrown overboard on the homeward trip. At any rate, the accident of hitting 



