﻿[37] 
  WORK 
  OF 
  STEAMER 
  ALBATROSS. 
  39 
  

  

  gations, 
  the 
  improvements 
  in 
  towing-nets 
  having 
  practically 
  opened 
  a 
  

   new 
  field 
  to 
  us. 
  The 
  surface-nets 
  were 
  put 
  over 
  again 
  in 
  the 
  evening, 
  

   with 
  gratifying 
  results. 
  

  

  At 
  10.54 
  a. 
  m. 
  on 
  the 
  17th 
  we 
  set 
  the 
  trawl 
  line 
  in 
  120 
  fathoms, 
  fine 
  

   gray 
  sand, 
  latitude 
  35° 
  02' 
  20" 
  K, 
  longitude 
  75° 
  12' 
  W., 
  and 
  after 
  the 
  

   fishermen 
  left 
  the 
  ship 
  the 
  trawl 
  was 
  lowered, 
  taking 
  a 
  few 
  fish, 
  dead 
  

   shells, 
  worms, 
  a 
  single 
  hydroid, 
  &c, 
  the 
  bottom 
  being 
  exceedingly 
  bar- 
  

   ren. 
  The 
  trawl 
  line 
  was 
  taken 
  up 
  at 
  3.30 
  p. 
  m., 
  a 
  single 
  dogfish 
  being 
  

   the 
  only 
  catch. 
  The 
  weather 
  buoy 
  sunk, 
  and 
  while 
  hauling 
  in 
  from 
  the 
  

   leeward 
  the 
  line 
  parted, 
  the 
  weather 
  buoy, 
  anchor, 
  and 
  line, 
  and 
  a 
  por- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  trawl 
  line 
  being 
  lost. 
  

  

  Five 
  hauls 
  of 
  the 
  trawl 
  were 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  during 
  the 
  day, 
  

   resulting 
  in 
  the 
  capture 
  of 
  many 
  starfish, 
  Crustacea, 
  fish, 
  corals, 
  and 
  

   a 
  great 
  variety 
  of 
  shells, 
  mostly 
  minute 
  forms. 
  Surface 
  towing 
  was 
  

   carried 
  on 
  both 
  in 
  the 
  morning 
  and 
  evening 
  with 
  excellent 
  results. 
  

  

  At 
  6 
  a. 
  m. 
  on 
  the 
  following 
  day, 
  we 
  cast 
  the 
  trawl 
  in 
  15 
  fathoms, 
  gray 
  

   sand, 
  latitude 
  34° 
  57' 
  K, 
  longitude 
  75° 
  43' 
  30" 
  W., 
  and 
  ran 
  a 
  line 
  of 
  dredg- 
  

   ings 
  offshore 
  until 
  11.40 
  a. 
  m., 
  when 
  the 
  trawl 
  line 
  was 
  set 
  in 
  124 
  fathoms, 
  

   sand 
  and 
  rock, 
  latitude 
  34° 
  38' 
  30" 
  K, 
  longitude 
  75° 
  33' 
  30" 
  W. 
  When 
  

   taken 
  up 
  at 
  4 
  p. 
  m., 
  there 
  were 
  only 
  two 
  small 
  sharks 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  

   hooks, 
  although 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  baits 
  were 
  gone. 
  The 
  strong 
  current 
  of 
  

   the 
  Gulf 
  Stream 
  towed 
  the 
  weather 
  buoy 
  under, 
  and 
  the 
  line 
  parting 
  

   while 
  heaving 
  in, 
  the 
  remaining 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  gear 
  was 
  lost. 
  

  

  The 
  rock 
  referred 
  to 
  was 
  a 
  sandstone, 
  fragments 
  of 
  which, 
  from 
  a 
  

   few 
  inches 
  to 
  2 
  feet 
  in 
  diameter, 
  and 
  from 
  2 
  to 
  4 
  inches 
  in 
  thickness, 
  

   came 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  trawl. 
  It 
  was 
  perforated 
  in 
  all 
  directions 
  with 
  holes, 
  

   from 
  half 
  an 
  inch 
  to 
  an 
  inch 
  in 
  diameter, 
  and 
  closely 
  resembled 
  the 
  clay 
  

   or 
  rottenstone 
  formation 
  referred 
  to 
  in 
  previous 
  reports 
  found 
  off 
  the 
  

   capes 
  of 
  the 
  Delaware. 
  

  

  After 
  the 
  fishermen 
  returned 
  we 
  continued 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  dredgings, 
  ten 
  

   hauls 
  being 
  made 
  during 
  the 
  day, 
  and 
  many 
  interesting 
  specimens 
  taken. 
  

   The 
  bottom 
  was, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  clean 
  sand, 
  washed 
  by 
  the 
  sea 
  during 
  every 
  gale, 
  

   and 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  it 
  swept 
  by 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  Stream, 
  which 
  in 
  

   that 
  locality 
  extends 
  to 
  the 
  bottom. 
  Among 
  the 
  many 
  forms 
  taken 
  were 
  

   several 
  varieties 
  of 
  starfish, 
  brittle-stars, 
  shrimp, 
  sea-anemones, 
  small 
  

   squid, 
  holothurians, 
  rare 
  and 
  beautiful 
  sea-urchins, 
  a 
  few 
  Cephalopods, 
  

   Astrophytons, 
  sand-dollars, 
  Munidas, 
  and 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  shells, 
  both 
  large 
  

   and 
  small, 
  the 
  minute 
  forms 
  in 
  particular 
  being 
  taken 
  in 
  great 
  num- 
  

   bers. 
  There 
  were 
  also 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  fish 
  taken, 
  among 
  them 
  large 
  

   numbers 
  of 
  young 
  scup, 
  which 
  were 
  subsequently 
  used 
  for 
  bait, 
  a 
  few 
  

   file-fish, 
  and 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  shoal-water 
  species. 
  A 
  large 
  spotted 
  por- 
  

   poise 
  was 
  harpooned 
  during 
  the 
  evening, 
  and 
  preserved 
  for 
  examina- 
  

   tion. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  rare 
  species 
  in 
  the 
  Atlantic, 
  and 
  was 
  first 
  seen 
  by 
  us 
  off 
  

   Cape 
  Hatteras 
  in 
  June 
  last. 
  The 
  large 
  surface-nets 
  were 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  

   morning 
  and 
  evening, 
  and 
  at 
  intervals 
  during 
  the 
  day, 
  with 
  excellent 
  

   results. 
  

  

  