Narrative ok Bahama Expedition. 27 



pared for the marine biologist a lield for work perhaps not 

 excelled on the globe. Sweeping along the coast of Cuba on 

 the south, and over the Pourtales Plateau off the Florida Keys, 

 it furnishes the conditions best suited to a profusion of marine 

 life, a slope leading off from a land mass and sw^ept by a strong 

 steady current. 



It does not seem to be necessary that such a current be of 

 ivann water, however. The writer has seen as great pro- 

 fusion of marine life' in the Bay of Fundy, swept by an inrush 

 of the arctic current, as has been found anywhere beneath the 

 flow of the Gulf Stream. 



It was while crossing this marine river that our first collect- 

 ing was done. The crab nets, with their long handles, proved 

 effective instruments for dipping up quantities of the sargasso 

 weed. A number of tubs w^ere filled with sea water, and glass 

 jars were placed on the top of the cabin. The sea weed was 

 first immersed in the tubs, and the larger inhabitants picked 

 out. Then portions were placed in the glass jars for more 

 careful study. 



Agassiz. in his interesting chapter on •• Pelagic Animals,'"-^ 

 gives a very complete account of the sargasso weed, and 

 mentions manv of the animal frequenting it. Considerable 

 quantities of this interesting alga were encountered as we 

 crossed the Gulf Stream. Some of the specimens were in fruit. 

 The receptacles are on specialh' modified leaves, which they 

 cover in wart-shaped protuberances. The globular " floats " 

 are so hard, and apparently solid, that one is surprised to find 

 them possessed of extraordinary buoyancy. After an immer- 

 sion of eight months in strong alcohol, these little globes still 

 float on the surface of the fluid with almost unimpaired buoy- 

 ancv, when an opportunity is given them. The writer once 

 saw great patches of this sea-weed, seeminglv acres in extent, 

 about three hundred miles to the southeast of our present 

 course. This was more like the accounts of old writers than 

 is often seen, but even there the weed offered little impedi- 



' By ibis I mean the ciuantity of marine organisms, not number of species, whicb i, 

 far jzrea'.er on tbe Pourta.ej Plateau, over which warm water sweeps, 

 s ■■ Three Cruises o: the Blake." Volume 1. page 3 JO. 



