CHAP. IV.] ' THE VOYAGE HOME. 217 



only one or two fishes, some medusse, and a caridid shrimp, so 

 that there was no actual evidence of its having reached the 

 bottom. 



On the 12th we sounded in 2425 fathoms, and took a series 

 of temperatures. The upper temperatures were decidedly 

 higher than tliey were the day before, 5° C. occurring at 125 

 fathoms, 2°-5 C. at 700, and 2° C. at 1100 fathoms. The po- 

 sition of the sounding was lat. 41° 45' S., long. 54° 46' W. ; 

 it was nearly double the distance of the previous sounding 

 from the 100-fatlioni line, which very nearly corresponds with 

 a submarine cliii of great height. The bottom temperature 

 was — 0°-4 C. On the 14tli we sounded in 600 fathoms on the 

 plateau extending from the South American coast, opposite the 

 estuary of the Kiver Plate, 144 miles from Labos Island. We 

 took a set of temperatures to the bottom, and found the grada- 

 tion, so far as it went, very much the same as on the 12th. The 

 bottom temperature was 2°'7 C. On this occasion the trawl was 

 most successful, and gave us a good idea of the fauna of moder- 

 ate depths along the coast. Probably not fewer than sixty spe- 

 cies of different groups were recovered, including a very hand- 

 some Pennatulid between two and three feet in height, some 

 deep-sea corals of very special interest, and some fine Echino- 

 derms and sponges. On the 15th we anchored in Montevideo 

 Roads. 



We left the anchorage of Montevideo at day -break on the 

 25th of February, and, after swinging ship for errors of the 

 compasses, we proceeded down the estuary. In the afternoon 

 the trawl was put over in 13 fathoms to get an idea of the 

 fauna of the brackish water. The species procured were com- 

 paratively few, but among them was a plentiful supply of an 

 interesting alcyonarian of the genus Henilla, which, although 

 well known, had not been met witli by us before. On the two 

 following days we crossed the shallow-water plateau, and on the 

 28th we sounded and trawled in 1900 fathoms, over the ledge. 



IL— 15 



