﻿[23] 
  WORK 
  OF 
  STEAMER 
  ALBATROSS. 
  25 
  

  

  Just 
  at 
  dusk 
  we 
  sent 
  a 
  boat 
  for 
  what 
  we 
  supposed 
  was 
  a 
  huge 
  turtle 
  

   asleep 
  on 
  the 
  water, 
  hut 
  it 
  turned 
  out 
  to 
  he 
  a 
  large 
  suufish, 
  which 
  the 
  

   men 
  succeeded 
  in 
  striking, 
  hut 
  the 
  iron 
  drew 
  out 
  and 
  the 
  fish 
  sunk. 
  

  

  We 
  steamed 
  slowly 
  to 
  the 
  southward 
  during 
  the 
  night, 
  and 
  at 
  4.37 
  

   a. 
  m. 
  the 
  following 
  day 
  cast 
  the 
  trawl 
  in 
  85 
  fathoms, 
  black 
  mud, 
  bottom 
  

   temperature 
  52.5°, 
  latitude 
  36° 
  41' 
  37" 
  N., 
  longitude 
  74° 
  42' 
  15" 
  W. 
  

   A 
  variety 
  of 
  crustaceans 
  were 
  brought 
  up, 
  also 
  a 
  few 
  minor 
  forms 
  of 
  

   mollusca, 
  fish, 
  &c; 
  but 
  a 
  marked 
  decrease 
  in 
  numbers 
  and 
  variety 
  was 
  

   observable 
  as 
  we 
  went 
  to 
  the 
  southward. 
  

  

  At 
  5.15 
  the 
  trawl 
  line 
  was 
  set 
  between 
  135 
  and 
  100 
  fathoms, 
  black 
  

   mud, 
  the 
  weather 
  buoy 
  being 
  in 
  latitude 
  30° 
  43' 
  N., 
  longitude 
  74° 
  41' 
  

   W., 
  bottom 
  temperature 
  48.8°. 
  No 
  fish 
  of 
  any 
  kind 
  were 
  taken 
  on 
  the 
  

   line, 
  although 
  the 
  baits 
  were 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  gone. 
  

  

  An 
  unsuccessful 
  trial 
  was 
  made 
  with 
  hand-lines 
  in 
  78 
  fathoms, 
  lati- 
  

   tude 
  30° 
  43' 
  K, 
  longitude 
  74° 
  42' 
  20" 
  W., 
  after 
  which 
  we 
  ran 
  to 
  the 
  

   southward 
  until 
  11.49 
  a. 
  m., 
  when 
  we 
  set 
  the 
  trawl 
  line 
  in 
  119 
  fathoms, 
  

   green 
  mud 
  and 
  fine 
  sand, 
  bottom 
  temperature 
  51.5°, 
  latitude 
  3G° 
  20' 
  

   24" 
  N., 
  longitude 
  74° 
  40' 
  30" 
  W. 
  As 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  fishing 
  party 
  was 
  

   clear 
  of 
  the 
  ship 
  we 
  put 
  the 
  trawl 
  over, 
  taking 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  crabs, 
  

   a 
  few 
  Munidas 
  and 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  other 
  crustaceans, 
  a 
  few 
  sponges, 
  hy- 
  

   droids, 
  echinoderms, 
  annelids, 
  mollusca, 
  and 
  four 
  common 
  species 
  of 
  

   fish. 
  Judging 
  from 
  the 
  fauna 
  captured 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  considered 
  good 
  

   feeding 
  ground 
  for 
  many 
  species 
  of 
  fish, 
  yet 
  the 
  trawlers 
  returned 
  with 
  

   only 
  half 
  a 
  dozen 
  hake 
  and 
  one 
  large 
  skate. 
  As 
  the 
  ground 
  here 
  prom- 
  

   ised 
  nothing 
  we 
  changed 
  our 
  location 
  again 
  and 
  at 
  4.49 
  p. 
  m. 
  set 
  the 
  

   trawl 
  line 
  in 
  93 
  fathoms, 
  coarse 
  gray 
  sand, 
  black 
  specks, 
  and 
  broken 
  

   shells, 
  bottom 
  temperature 
  52°, 
  latitude 
  30° 
  01' 
  30" 
  K, 
  longitude 
  74° 
  

   47' 
  30" 
  W. 
  As 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  trawlers 
  were 
  away 
  the 
  beam-trawl 
  was 
  put 
  

   over 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  station, 
  taking 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  crabs, 
  a 
  few 
  shrimp, 
  

   eight 
  specimens 
  of 
  Octopus 
  Bairdii, 
  several 
  starfish, 
  and 
  four 
  common 
  

   species 
  o*f 
  fish. 
  There 
  were 
  no 
  fish 
  taken 
  on 
  the 
  trawl 
  line, 
  although 
  

   most 
  of 
  the 
  baits 
  were 
  gone 
  from 
  the 
  hooks. 
  

  

  Three 
  porpoises 
  were 
  taken 
  with 
  the 
  harpoon 
  during 
  the 
  day. 
  Two 
  

   of 
  them 
  were 
  placed 
  on 
  ice 
  and 
  the 
  skin 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  salted. 
  Three 
  

   blackfish 
  with 
  large 
  rectangular 
  white 
  spots 
  on 
  their 
  bodies 
  were 
  seen 
  

   about 
  the 
  ship 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  minutes, 
  but 
  left 
  before 
  any 
  attempt 
  could 
  be 
  

   made 
  to 
  capture 
  one. 
  They 
  were 
  all 
  marked 
  alike, 
  and 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  I 
  can 
  

   recollect 
  had 
  four 
  spots 
  each, 
  although 
  I 
  may 
  be 
  mistaken 
  in 
  the 
  num- 
  

   ber. 
  This 
  peculiar 
  marking 
  may 
  be 
  common, 
  but 
  I 
  never 
  before 
  saw 
  

   anything 
  of 
  the 
  kind 
  myself. 
  The 
  large 
  surface 
  tow-net 
  was 
  dragged 
  

   for 
  two 
  hours 
  or 
  more 
  during 
  the 
  evening 
  with 
  very 
  satisfactory 
  results 
  ; 
  

   many 
  minute 
  forms, 
  including 
  several 
  species 
  of 
  small 
  fish, 
  were 
  taken, 
  

   also 
  one 
  perfect 
  specimen 
  of 
  Argonauta 
  argo 
  alive 
  and 
  in 
  its 
  shell. 
  

  

  The 
  tow-net 
  referred 
  to 
  has 
  a 
  ring 
  four 
  feet 
  in 
  diameter, 
  the 
  net 
  itself 
  

   being 
  about 
  10 
  feet 
  in 
  length, 
  made 
  of 
  strong 
  netting 
  and 
  lined 
  with 
  

   cheese-cloth 
  for 
  2 
  feet 
  or 
  more 
  from 
  the 
  tail. 
  Towing 
  this 
  net 
  at 
  the 
  

  

  