[87] WORK OF STEAMER ALBATROSS. 89 



tbat.iii some of the shallow bays a violent wind will stir up the bottom 

 until the water is almost milk-white with particles of coral. We found 

 the proportion of foraminifera in the ooze to be large. As was to be 

 expected, a greater number of these belonged to the genus Glohigerina. 

 G. rtibra was conspicuous. 



Pteropod shells in many localities were very numerous, much to our 

 surprise, as I do not remember having seen a single shell of this group 

 taken in the sounding cup in the Atlantic, and but comparatively few 

 in the dredgings. We saw the explanation of the number of these shells 

 on the bottom when near Trinidad, where for some distance we steamed 

 through water alive with them. A large number were caught in a scoop- 

 net and were found to belong to the genus Styliola. 



On January 27 the large beam-trawl was put over in 683 fiithoms, 

 Station No. 2117, being the first haul in the Caribbean Sea, and a very 

 successful one. Among the things brought up were several forms of 

 coral, one of them a beautiful cup coral of a species new to our collec- 

 tions; also many shells related to the pectens. These shells were very 

 thin and transparent, showing the animal quite distinctly. Echinoderras 

 were represented by starfish, brittle-stars, sea-urchins, and sea-cucum- 

 bers. Sponges, both siliceous and horny, worm-tubes with long glass 

 spicules attached, and many small crustaceans, &c., made up the mate- 

 rial in the trawl-net. The mud-bag, which was attached to the end of 

 the trawl-net, was nearly filled with ooze, which yielded a large per- 

 centage of foraminifera. This foraminifera is in better condition than 

 any we have before saved in quantity, as the coral ooze from which it 

 was washed leaves the shells clean and iierfect. 



On January 28, one haul was made with the large beam-trawl, Sta- 

 tion ]^o. 2118, in 090 fathoms. The water deepened so rapidly that no 

 bottom specimens were brought up. However, several interesting crus- 

 taceans were taken from the wing-nets. At Station 2111), on January 

 29, in 1,140 fathoms, the trawl was lost. Station 2120 in 73 fathoms, 

 January 30, the dredge was put over, but only a small amount of ma- 

 terial was taken. 



The Albatross came to anchor in the harbor of Port of Spain, Trini- 

 dad, late in the afternoon of January 30. After dark the electric light 

 was used to collect surface specimens. A gill net was set near the ship 

 without result. The next day the collectors went along the shore in 

 different directions, in order to cover as much ground as possible dur- 

 ing our very short stay. The water is very shallow filong the shore, on 

 either side of the town. The bottom is a soft mud, in which grows quan- 

 tities of eel-grass. On the shore, just out of reach of an ordinary tide, 

 is a low bank filled with the burrows of crabs. We dug out some of 

 these, and sifted a good deal of sand and mud from high- water mark to 

 as far out as we could wade, for shells, crustaceans, and worms. While 

 we were collecting in this way, Captain Tanner obtained information 

 which led to the successful hunting of the remarkable guacharo bird 



