XLIII.-PHYSICAL CHARACTERS OF THE PORTION OF THE 

 CONTINENTAL BORDER. BENEATH THE GULF STREAM, EX- 

 PLORED BY THE FISH HAWK, 1880 TO 1882. 



By a. E. Verrill. 



Although several extended surveys along the region of the Gulf 

 Stream had been made by the ofhcers of the United States Coast Sur- 

 vey since 1844, no systematic dredging had been done along its course, 

 north of Florida, until 1880. During tiie previous surveys large num- 

 bers of bottom samples had been saved. Some of these were studied 

 many years ago by Professor Bailey, and later by Mr. L. F. de Pourtales. 

 Many of the Foraminifera and other microsco})ic forms have been de- 

 scribed by them. A few small shells from the same source were de- 

 scribed by Dr. A. A. Gould, in 18G2. These investigations gave a par- 

 tial knowledge of the nature of the materials of the bottom and the 

 depth. But many errors existed in the earlier surveys in the determi- 

 nations of temperature, and little else was known of the physical condi- 

 tions. In many cases the recorded dei)ths were also unreliable. The 

 extensive surveys made by the Blake since 1880 have been conducted 

 with much better apparatus and I'lir greater accuracy. In 1872 one haul 

 was made by Messrs. S. I. Smith and O. Harger, while on the Bache, in 

 430 fathoms, south of George's Bank, on this slope, but it happened to 

 be on a comparatively barren spot. In 1877, the United States Fish 

 Commission party dredgvd on the northward continuation of theSloi)e, 

 about 120 miles south of Halifax, in 00 and 100 fathoms, but the bottom 

 was of barren gravel and the results meager and unsatisfactory. In 

 that region the cold currents are rapid and the slope of the bottom is 

 exceedingly steep, making the dredgings very difficult. 



The real character of the rich fauna inhabiting the bottom beneath 

 the Gulf Stream, off our eastern coast, was completely unknown until 

 1880,* when numerous and successful dredgings were made, first by Mr. 



* The Challenger, ou her celo' rated voyage, ii ade a line of dredgings from Bermuda 

 toward New Vork, but after approaching our coast she turned northward, and went 

 to Halifax. Her station nearest to our coast was about IGO miles otf New York, in 

 1,240 fathoms. The few dredgings made by the Challenger off Halifax were partly 

 on the shallow fishing banks (Le Have Bank) and partly in the deep water of the 

 Atlantic Basin. By mere chance, therefore, the Challenger missed the discovery of 

 the exceedingly rich and varied deep-water fauna that is now known to occupy the 

 Gulf Stream Slope at moderate depths all along our coaafc. 



[1] 1045 



