Narrative of Bahama Expedition. 49 



clearing the specimens from one while the other was over the 

 side. In this way an astonishing amount of material was 

 sometimes collected during a favorable day. 



That part of our equipment about which there seemed to be 

 the most doubt was the iron rope. It was claimed that it was 

 necessary to keep it constantly under tension, and that this 

 could not be done except by the use of a steam vessel and 

 hoisting apparatus. As a matter of fact, it was bound to be 

 under tension all the time the dredge was overboard, the 

 weight of the dredge w^ith its sinkers, and of the rope itself, 

 being adequate to give a sufficient amount of strain to secure 

 it against kinking, the thing most to be, feared. The onh' 

 danger, apparently, is in allowing the rope to pay out too fast, 

 thus forming a coil on the bottom, and an eventual kink. 

 This danger, however, is just as LH'eat where steam is used, 

 the dredge in either case being lowered b}' its oun weight, 

 controlled by a friction brake. 



The practical trial of our equipment worked entirely to our 

 satisfaction, and gave us good grounds for confidence in its 

 adequacy for dredging in deeper water. We soon saw that 

 there was little danger of kinking the rope if care was used in 

 not allowing the dredge to go down too rapidly, and that Caji- 

 tain Flowers was master of his vessel when it came to dredging. 



We were greatlv surprised at the nvmiber of specimens col- 

 lected on the '• Banks." Indeed, this region would amply re- 

 pay a careful investigation, as it supports an interesting assem- 

 blage of animal forms. The most striking hsh was one clearly 

 allied to Ceratias m'cinoscofiis {Jl'fiirrav). which was brought up 

 b\- the trawl of the ••Challenger" from a depth of twent}'- 

 four hundred fathoms. Our specimen, although closeh' allied 

 to the one secured by the •• Challenger," differs in many matters 

 of detail. It is a more robust species, capable of still more 

 increasing its girth by distention of the abdomen, after the 

 manner of the Diodoii. It is considerably larger than C. 

 iircvioscopus, the length being live inches. The anterior spine 

 of the hrst dorsal is implanted right back of the margin of the 

 upper jaw. and is much shorter than in iir(ii!(>:^ropiis. It is 



