INVESTIGATIONS OF THE ALBATROSS. 261 



larly in tlie direction of land. Tliere were occasional showers on tlie 

 25tli, witli lijiiitnino- during- the night. 



Three hauls of the beam-trawl were made on the 27th, in 902 and 

 1,067 fathoms, mud and sand, without a trace of foraminifera, Avhile an 

 intermediate station was in 1,010 fathoms, globigerina ooze. Serial 

 temperatures Avere taken at both stations, and the surface tow net was 

 used. At the first station the net came u]) badly torn and the trawl- 

 frame was bent, showing that it had been in contact with some obstruc- 

 tion on the bottom, either rocks or water- logged driftwood, Avhich 

 is frequently encountered in the Gulf of Panama and proves very 

 destructive to dredging gear. 



The depth of 902 fathoms at the tirst station on the morning of the 

 27th, 50 miles to the eastward of Cocos Island, indicated that we were 

 near the snmmit of another submarine ridge, the water having- shoaled 

 770 fathoms since the evening of the 24th, deepening again to 1,0G7 

 fathoms 12 miles from the island. It was on this area only that forami- 

 nifera were found in appreciable <iuantities in the bottom specimens 

 taken between Panama and the island. Four hauls of the trawl and 

 tangles were made on the 28th in from 52 to 134 fathoms, east and north 

 of Cocos, over rough, rocky bottom, which aftbrded a variety of shoal- 

 water life 5 yet it would be considered meager in comparison with tbe 

 same depths in the Caribbean Sea. 



A part}' of collectors was landed in the morning, the vessel continu- 

 ing work until 10:37 a. m., when she anchored in Chatham Bay, near 

 the northeast extremity of Cocos Island. A seining* party, volunteer 

 collectors, pliotographers, etc., were sent on shore, and the whole ciew 

 given an opportunity ftn- a run on the beach and a dip in the surf during 

 the day. 



The name of the discoverer and the date of the discovery of Cocos 

 Island are unknown. It was visited by Lionel Wafer and Dampier; 

 two Spanish vessels called in 1791, and Capt. Colnett visited it in 1793; 

 Vancouver described it in 1795, and in 183S Sir Edward Belcher sur- 

 veyed a portion of the island, and located a point in Chatham Bay, 

 astronomically. Many names and dates are rougidy carved on bowlders 

 near the beach, noticeably such dates as 179S, 1809, 1819, etc. 



The island is about 4^ miles long, north and south, including out- 

 lying rocks and islets; 3 miles in width, 1,700 feet in height, and is of 

 volcanic origin. Its contour is rugged and mountainous; the valleys 

 very narrow and limited in extent. Copious rains water its surface, 

 and numerous mountain streams roll down the wooded heights, through 

 steep and tortuous gorges, and over rocky cliffs, small sand beaches 

 usually marking their outlet to the sea. A dense tropieal jungle, 

 strongly resembling the forests of Central America, covers the entire 

 surface of the island, enveloping it in an unbroken mantle of rich and 

 varied shades of green. Cocoanut trees were found in such abundance 

 by the discoverers that they gave their name to the island, and they 



