108 



surrounded by immense heaps consisting of millions of 

 oysters in all stages of decomposition.'^ 



The surface of the water, always rich in organisms, was 

 exceptionally so on the following morning, the tow-net, 

 dropped from the stern of the barque and kept distended by 

 the gentle current which was running, becoming speedily 

 filled with a gelatinous mass composed mainly of Sagittce 

 mingled with a host of Ctenophora, glassy molluscs, and 

 hungry fishes preying on Crustacean and other larvae. Only 

 a few young oysters being found, we again proceeded north- 

 ward, and anchored in 8| fathoms, the preliminary dives 

 bringing up Madrepores with Antedons entwined round their 

 branches, and large Melohesian nodules. Again only a few 

 scattered oysters were obtained as the result of a day's work, 

 but the divers brought me many specimens of Alcyonians, 

 and the bright-red sponge Axinella tubulata, living attached 

 by a broad base to dead coral- rock, and associated with its 

 commensal worm.^ The following temperature observations 

 were made half a mile west of the ship, where no bottom 

 was reached with the sounding line at 140 fathoms : — 



On the afternoon of the 4th, we moved on, still north- 

 ward, to the Karaitivu Par,^ which was estimated, at the 

 inspection in November 1887, to contain 1,605,465 oysters. 

 The divers, going down from the ship, alighted on a bank 

 of FungicB, and brought up some living 5 -year old oysters 

 and Melohesian nodules. Attached to one of the nodules was 

 an extensive creeping colony of the delicate crimson-coloured 

 organism named Tuhipora reptans from the single small 

 specimen which has hitherto been recorded by Mr. H. J. 

 Carter.^ The present specimens were in a more advanced 

 stage of growth than the one described by Mr. Carter, which 

 I examined in the Liverpool Museum last year, and the 

 calycles were proportionately higher. By about four hours' 

 work next morning a sample of 8,000 oysters was collected 



> Vide Atm. Mag. Nat. Hist., Feb. 1889, p. 89. 



* The Karaitivu Par was fished in December 1889 ; but the fishery 

 came to an abrupt termination owing to a diver being killed by a shark. 

 Apparently three men went down into the water, and two came up almost 

 directly, saying that the third had been carried off by a shark. The rest of 

 the divers could not be prevailed on to resume work, and left the bank. 



3 Ann. Mag. Nat. Hht., June 1880, p. 442. 



