24 PEOCEEDINGS OF THE 



in the sea between the North of Scotland and the Faroe Islands. 

 The hope cf meeting here with the same or a similar Fauna as 

 had been the reward of the Scandinavian zocdofjists, was evidently 

 the cause of selecting that somewhat high latitude in preference 

 to a more southern field of operations. The short cruise waa 

 much interfered with by bad weather, and dredging in deep 

 water Avas only possible on nine days ; but the explorers 

 succeeded in working the dredge in deeper water than had been 

 recorded before, viz., in 650 fathoms. A great many new or 

 interesting types of animal life equally important to the zoologist 

 and the palaeontologist were obtained ; but what arrested their 

 attention still more, and Avhat found its explanation onlv after 

 the lapse of a good many years, was the startling obserA^ation 

 that there was in the Faroe Channel a considerable difference in 

 the temperature of the water (as much as 14''' F.) at similar depths 

 separated from one another by only an hour's sail ; and that 

 " great masi^es of water at different temperatures must be moving 

 about, each in its particular course, maintaining a remarkable 

 system of oceanic circulation, and yet keeping distinct from one 

 another." It Avas evident that this phenomenon must have a 

 •direct influence upon the distribution of life at the bottom of 

 the ocean. 



These temperature observations were continued on the same 

 ground in the folloAAing year, when Carpenter and Thomson 

 obtained the loan for a longer period of a larger and better 

 equipped vessel, the 'Porcupine.' They did not come nearer 

 to the solution of the question. In other respects this cruise, 

 which extended from May to September, yielded remarkably 

 good results. Captain Calver, the commander of the vesstl, 

 invented and introductd an appliance which proved to be invalu- 

 able for the capture of certain animals in this and all succeeding 

 expeditions, viz., the so-callt d '" tanyles " or " swabs " which Avere 

 attached to the outside of the dredge. Dredging A\as carried on 

 in very deep water, outside the littor. 1 territories from the Crag 

 of Rockall soutliAvards thrc.ugh ten degrees of latitude. 250 

 miles west of Ushant the expl( rers dredged at a, for that period 

 enormous, de[)th of ne.irly 2500 iathoms, meeting with an abund- 

 ance of animal life. I make the number of stations at which 

 successful hauls of the dredge were made by the ' Porcupine ' in 

 the area v.est of the British Islands to be about thiny : a very 

 satisfactory amount of Avork considering the short time devoted 

 to it. 



No further serious attempt was made to resume tlie inves- 

 tigation of the British Deep Sea, until it was taken up by 

 indefatigable John Murray after his return with the ' Chal- 

 lenger.' In 1880 and 1882 he undertook cruises in the ' Knight 

 Errant' and 'Triton,' T. H. Tizard comn anding, to explore 

 again the Faroe Channel, chiefly A\ith the vieAv of finding an 

 explanation of the diff"eient temperatvires in contiguous art as of 

 water. Commander Tizard had enounced the hypothesis that 



