Narrative of Bahama Expedition. 49 



clearing- the specimens from one while the other was over the 

 side. In this wav an astonishinjj amount of material was 

 sometimes collected during a favorable da v. 



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 with its sinkers, and of the rope itself, 

 being adeqviate to give a sutTicient amount of strain to secure 

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

 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 great where steam is used, 

 the dredge in either case being lowered bv its own 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 rapidh'. and that Cap- 

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



We were greatly surprised at the number 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 fish was one clearlv 

 allied to Ceratias iiranoscopiis [Murray^, which was brought up 

 b}' the trawl of the '-Challenger" from a depth of twentv- 

 four hundred fathoms. Our specimen, although closely 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 Diodon. It is considerably larger than C. 

 uranoscofiis, the length being tive inches. The anterior spine 

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

 upper jaw, and is much shorter than in iiranoscopiis. It is 



