Nark ATiNi-: of Bahama I'Ixim^dition. 75 



and these also came ihrou^h with remarkably little clama_o-e. 



The tirst specimen of modern Pci/farn'iiiis brought to the 

 attention of the scientilic world was secured from the vicinity 

 of the Island of Martinique, and sent to Paris in 1775. During 

 the next centur\- onl\- a few isolated specimens found their way 

 to Europe, and none of these had the soft parts sutliciently 

 w'ell preserved for satisfactory investigation. The ■• Chal- 

 lenger" secured quite a series, comprising several new species, 

 but nowhere were they found in any considerable quantities 

 during that memorable expedition. It remained for the United 

 States Coast Survey Steamer •• Blake " to discover that there 

 are still spots on the earth's surface where these graceful 

 forms grow in almost as great profusion as during past geo- 

 logical times. 



So far as the writer can discover, only two vessels dredged 

 over the pentacrinus grounds previous to the visit of the "■ Emily 

 E. Johnson." These were the •• Blake " and the '• Albatross." 

 the latter vessel being, as Agassiz says, •• the best equipped 

 dredger for deep sea work in existence." Both of these 

 expeditions secured magnificent series of Pentacrinus. which 

 enriched the collections at the Smithsonian. Harvard, and a 

 few other Eastern Institutions. No Western museum had any- 

 thing like a good series of these interesting animals until our 

 ■expedition secured an abundance of stalked crinoids for the 

 .State Universit\' of Iowa. 



One attempt to use a dredge on the ]X'ntacrinus grouiul 

 ■came near resulting disastrously. The dredge caught on the 

 rocky bottom and hung so solidl}' that it seemed that om- 

 ■dredge rope would certainK' part. The strain was exidently 

 tremendous, but the I'ope held, and after great labor and 

 iuixietv the dredge was broken from the bottom, and came up 

 bent out of shape and with little in it to pay for our trouble. 

 The tangle bar is the instriunent y)r/y' rvrr//r//cr to use on rocky 

 .bottom, such as we found at this station. 



The labor of continuous dredging was rather seveie on the 

 \()ung men. most of whom were still inclined to be seasick. 

 'J'lu' heat at times seemed ojipressixe. and our backs ached 



