186 IOWA STUDIES IN NATURAL HISTORY 
over-board. Through the request of Mr. Griffin several specimens 
had already been saved for me in this way, and Mr. Deighton 
kindly promised to do what he could to persuade the skippers of 
the trawling fleet to continue the good work by saving all of the 
specimens they thought might be of scientific interest. But I 
succeeded in making still better arrangements for collecting marine 
material. The trawler Cowan was just in with a load of fish and 
Mr. Deighton introduced me to her skipper, Captain McKay, with 
the suggestion that I might go out on a trawling cruise with him. 
Captain McKay proved to be a man after my own heart, a 
Scotchman with a delightful burr and as fine a specimen of an 
honest, keenly intelligent sailor-man as could be found. He ex- 
tended a cordial invitation to take a cruise with him in the Cowan 
on his next trip beginning July 20. I had always wanted to add 
such a cruise to my somewhat varied marine experiences, and 
gladly accepted; although I knew well enough that life on a 
trawler in winter would be no child’s play, indeed much more 
like the experience related in Kipling’s ‘‘Captains Courageous,’’ 
than the ordinary sea life. As a matter of fact I have always 
considered deep-sea fishing in winter about as severe a test of en- 
durance as could be imagined. But I believed myself tough enough 
to stand it, at least for a few days, and was indeed keen to try it. 
Calling on Mr. Hamer to thank him for the use of his launch 
on the Rangitoto trip, I found him absent, but his assistant, who 
was in, took a very sincere and kindly interest in our plans. He 
believed that the best place to collect marine specimens was the 
little island of Rakino further out in the gulf than Rangitoto, 
and took me over to the office of Mr. Sanford who controls that 
island. He was absent, but his brother at once interested himself 
in our project and introduced me to Mr. Allison, chief of the 
ferry service, quite an extensive organization, by the way. This 
gentleman very generously offered me the use of his own launch 
to visit Rakino on Wednesday, July 19, when he believed that 
there would be a good low tide. So the work sceemed opening 
up for us at last. 
My last pair of shoes brought from home were worn out, the 
reef work at Makuluva having been the ruin of several pairs. So 
I proceeded to buy some shoes of New Zealand make, all of which 
are extraordinarily heavy; the ordinary American styles are re- 
garded as quite a curiosity, indeed I was asked if mine were not 
made of kid. I bought a highly recommended pair for 32/6 and 
