[37] WORK OF STEAMER ALBATROSS. 39 



besides fisli, sea-urchins, starfish of various kinds, and many fine spec- 

 imens of flabeUum. Dead octopods {Alloposus mollis) were passed fre- 

 quently during the day. Gulls were seen flying about the ship, an un- 

 usual occurrence with us in this locality, and large numbers of petrels 

 were hovering around us. At 4.18 a. m., August 20, we sounded in 1,073 

 fathoms, and put the trawl over, latitude 39° 35' 00" N., longitude 71° 

 18' 45" W. Three hauls were made during the day, the first two very 

 successful, and the last, although containing a fair number of specimens, 

 was remarkable principally for the enormous load of mud brought up 

 in the net, which must have buried as soon as it struck bottom. It re- 

 quired hours of labor and most careful handling to get it on board. A 

 set of serial temperatures and water specimens were then taken to a 

 depth of 800 fathoms, after which we steamed ahead slowly for an hour, 

 to allow of surface towing. Later in the evening we hove to, and with 

 the assistance of the submarine electric light took a large number of 

 squid and several small surface fish. The hauls during the day were 

 particularly rich in deep-sea fish, holothurians, benthodytes, anthozoa, 

 ophiurans, sea-urchins, &c. A large number of Geryon were taken also. 



The 21st commenced with moderate SW. winds, smooth sea, and 

 squally, rainy weather, continuing until about 8 a. m., when it cleared. 

 At 5.20 a. m. we sounded in 1,178 fathoms, latitude 39° 33' 00" N., longi- 

 tude 71° 16' 15" W., and put the trawl over. Four hauls were made 

 daring the day, three of them successful, but the last was very light. 

 The character of the specimens was much the same as those taken on 

 the 20th, with the addition of a brachiopod shell, which is exceedingly 

 rare in this locality. 



The weather continued good during the 22d, when five hauls of the 

 trawl were made in the vicinity of latitude 40° 00' 00" N., longitude 

 70° 30' 00" W., in from 384 to 963 fathoms. The bottom was composed 

 of a soft and exceedingly tenacious mud, which would not wash through 

 the meshes of the net. The first three hauls were composed principally 

 of this material, the specimens being very few compared with the num- 

 bers usually found in the same depths a few miles to the eastward. The 

 last two hauls were better, a number of valuable specimens being taken. 



The wind gradually increased during the 23d until at dark we had a 

 brisk breeze and moderate swell, with falling barometer and unsettled 

 weather. The trawl was lowered at 5.37 a. m. in 924 fathoms, latitude 

 390 47' 20" N., longitude 69^ 34" 15' W., and brought up an enormous 

 load of mud with a few good specimens. The dredge-rope stranded at 

 a splice while heaving in, 1,380 fathoms from the end, and, in order to 

 repau" it with as little delay as possible, the deep-sea dredge was low- 

 ered and rope veered until the bad place was reached, when a strand 

 was put in. The dredge, which had been dragging slowly on the bot- 

 tom, brought up a number of specimens. Four hauls were made dur- 

 ing the day, with fair success, and a set of serial temperatures and wa- 

 ter specimens was taken in the evening. 



