AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY. 



runners, kept at a distance of about eic^ht feet from one another 

 bv means of an iron rod. It is between these "sleigh runners," 

 in the intervening eight feet of space, that the net is placed. To 

 these sleigh runners is also attached by ropes a stout canvas bag, 

 the mouth of which is kept open by iron jaws. The position of 

 this bag is just behind the small end of the net, and on the sea 

 bottom it is dragged along after the large net, scraping up mud 

 or sand and rocks, thus relieving the'meshes of the net from a 

 strain which would be too heavy for them. 



Everything being ready for dredging, and soundings having 

 first been taken to ascertain the depth, the net is lowered care- 

 fully into the sea, the progress of the vessel being stopped. If 

 the sounding gave 1,200 fathoms then 1,700 fathoms of dredge 

 cable has to be let out, or even more than that before bottom is 

 reached. This has to be done slowly and necessarily takes a 

 long time. Sometimes when the water is 3,000 fathoms deep, 

 as is often the case, four hours are consumed in one lowering 

 and hauling. This process is also called "trawling." When 

 the bottom is reached, the dredge is dragged slowly along for 

 half an hour and then hoisted on board by means of the donkey 

 engine, at first slowlv, then, as it gets clear of the bottom, very 

 rapidly. 



It is an exciting moment when the huge net and canvas bag 

 emerges from the water and hangs dripping over the deck. The 

 net is then opened at the bottom and its contents allowed to roll 

 out into tubs, while mud and sand and rock in the canvas bag 

 are emptied into a large sieve on the forward deck, then to be 

 carefully washed and examined for small marine animals. 



The contents of the net -which have been emptied into tubs 

 consist of many curious forms of life from the deep sea, which 

 are carefully picked out and sorted, each class bv itself, and 

 then placed in glass jars containing alcohol. A minute report 

 of each haul is kept in a book for that purpose. 



Sometimes the "catch" is extremely interesting, beautiful 

 specimens of Adinidoe (sea anemones). Corals; Echinoids, or Sea 

 urchins, varieties not found in shallower waters. Also speci- 

 mens of Octopus (the cuttle fish), rare sponges and deep sea forms 

 of Holothurians, or Sea cucumbers. These latter so much dis- 



