30G REPOKT OF A ORUISE IN H.M.S. " RESEARCH 



Report of a Trawling Cruise in H.M.S. " Research " off 

 the South-west Coast of Ireland. 



By 



Gilbert C. Bourne, M.A., F.1..S., 



Fellow of New College, Oxford, and Director of the Association. 



The cruise, of whicL. the zoological results are given in this report, 

 was undertaken at the suggestion of Capt. Wharton, R.N,, F.R.S., 

 hydrographer to the Admiralty, who kindly advised me that H.M.S. 

 '^ Research " was to make a fresh series of soundings off the entrance 

 to the Channel, and put me in communication with the captain of 

 the ship. To Capt. Aldrich I am indebted for unbounded hospitality 

 and attention whilst I was on board, and I take this opportunity of 

 expressing my most hearty thanks both to him and to the officers on 

 board for the hospitality and kindness which they afforded me, and 

 for the help which they gave me in the trawling operations. The 

 " Research " is a paddle vessel of 520 tons register, built last year 

 for the expi'ess purpose of surveying*, and provided with a steam 

 winch, deep-sea trawls and dredges, and 1000 fathoms of wire rope, 

 with accumulators and accessory tackle. The available space on 

 board was limited ; there was no separate cabin at my disposal, so 

 Capt. Aldrich most kindly made me his guest and gave me a berth 

 in his own cabin, and I was given as much room as could possibly 

 be allowed for storing my bottles and other apparatus. 



Having joined the ship at Queenstown, we left the harbour on the 

 evening of Tuesday, July 9th, and stood on a westerly course for 

 Cape Clear. On the 10th, having cleared the Irish coast, the ship's 

 head was turned south, and a line of soundings was made on the 

 edge of the bank which was under survey. During this and the 

 three succeeding days the ship was turned westward for a few hours 

 each day, and the trawl was shot in deep water off the bank. At 

 night we returned to the bank and anchored. On Sunday, July 

 14th, we remained at anchor at the south-west extremity of the bank, 

 and on Monday we resumed a northerly course on about the meridian 

 of 10° 7' W. longitude, retracing our course on the 18th to run 

 another line of soundings a little eastward of our previous position. 

 During each of these days the trawl was shot on the bank in from 

 70 to 80 fathoms. During the expedition I took a number of hauls 



