326 THE DEPTHS OF THE SEA. [cHAP. VII, 
fathoms in thickness ; and finally the deep cold layer 
into which these soundings do not penetrate very far, 
through which the temperature sinks almost imper- 
ceptibly from 4°C. The difference between these 
soundings and those of the year before at the mouth 
of the Bay of Biscay is that the temperatures at all 
depths are somewhat higher. 
I refrain for the present from going into any detail 
with regard to the distribution of temperature in the 
Mediterranean, further than to give a mere outline of 
the remarkable conditions which were observed there 
by Dr. Carpenter. 
Dr. Carpenter’s observations were principally con- 
fined to the western basin of the Mediterranean, and 
during the months of August and September the 
surface temperature averaged between 23°C. and 
26°C. On two occasions only the surface tempera- 
ture fell considerably lower, and the fall was attri- 
buted in both cases to the influence of the colder 
surface current passing from the Atlantic through 
the Straits of Gibraltar. The following table of the 
series taken at Station 53 gives about the average rate 
of fall of temperature for the first 100 fathoms :— 
DUTlace. <7 0 era se ae eee ea ee 252° OIC: 
De fat NOINS ie ws 2), ee eet mn ne heal 
OAS. Fae RG aie UND Mey fic) me INL) 
DP) & >, Sahel NS ORT EA chee 1a BER Mle: 
30m, CN ian 20 eel teh ae elon 
40 em Seman re ey eee Lor 
50 ms Ne TRS fk oy ec LG 
LOO ray eg. ye ay Ria (0) 
and Dr. Carpenter made the remarkable observa- 
tion that “whatever the temperature was at 100 
