682 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



those portions of the sea through which its route lay. The expedition 

 was well supplied with all the necessary apparatus (bottom-scrapers, 

 or dredges, trawl-nets, sieves, &c.), all according to the most recent Eng- 

 lish models ; also a considerable quantity of cordage of different thick- 

 ness, as well as heavy iron weights for keeping the apparatus on the 

 bottom. A large number of glass jars of every size and quality, from 

 small tubes to cylinders measuring one foot in diameter, were also on 

 board, as well as a considerable quantity of spirits of wine for preserv- 

 ing the specimens which would be collected. 



In order to take the best possible care of the zoological material ob- 

 tained by the above-mentioned apparatus, and in order^to make those 

 preliminary observations which are of great importance for all future 

 observations, it was thought best to have as many zoologists as possi- 

 ble on the expedition, as well as an experienced draughtsman. The 

 zoologists were : Dr. Danielsen, Mr. Friele, and Professor Sars, and the 

 draughtsman's place was filled by the well-known landscape-painter, 

 Mr. Schiertz, whose skilled pencil and unusually sharp faculty of obser- 

 vation proved of great use to the expedition. He has produced a series 

 of masterly colored sketches, which will form a great ornament to those 

 zoological treatises which are going to be published as one of the results 

 of the expedition. 



The zoological work had been distributed in the following manner : 

 Dr. Danielsen, assisted by Dr. Koren, was to observe and describe the 

 echiuoderms, gephyreans, and the coral animals; Mr. Friele, the mol- 

 lusks ; Dr. Hansen, the annelids ; and Professor Sars, the other classes — 

 crustaceans, pycnogonidse, the polyzoans, hydroids, sponges, and those 

 lowest organisms forming the connecting link between the animal and 

 vegetable kingdoms (foraminifers, radiolariar, and diatoms). Professor 

 Sars was also to make those observations which referred to the salt- 

 water fisheries. 



Every one of these gentlemen is now, and has been for some time, 

 employed in working up his part of the material. But as this is exceed- 

 ingly rich, it has not been possible so far to finish the observations and 

 give a detailed report. As all the special results will, moreover, go into 

 the general report which will be published at the close of the expedition, 

 it will suffice in this place to give a brief account of the manner in which 

 the biological part of the work has been done, and give some of the 

 more important general results. It must be remembered that these ob- 

 servations, made far out in the open sea from a comparatively small ves- 

 sel, and at a depth of nearly 2,000 fathoms, are, even under the most 

 favorable circumstances, connected with very great difficulties, and 

 take up considerable time. If, in spite of the long-continued unfavor- 

 able weather, a very large quantity of zoological material has been col- 

 lected, this is chiefly owing to the zealous and skilful supervision of the 

 work by the second officer. Lieutenant Petterseu, into whose charge it 

 had been given by Captain Wille. 



