108 THE DEPTHS OF THE SEA. [chap. hi. 



Thorshavn about noon, steaming east by south, so 

 as to cross the deep channel between F&roe and 

 Shetland. Our first two stations were on the Freroe 

 plateau, at depths a little over a hundred fathoms, but 

 the third sounding, taken in the evening of the 24th 

 at a depth of 317 fathoms, gave a bottom temperature 

 of — o- 9 C. ; we were therefore once more in the cold 

 current. Having kept the same course under easy 

 steam during the night, we took a sounding next 

 morning, lat. 01° 21' N., long. 3° 14' W., at a depth of 

 010 fathoms, with a bottom temperature of — 1°1 C. 

 A haul of the dredge brought up rolled pebbles and 



Fig. VI. — Pourtafosia jeffreysi, Wyville Thomson. Slightly enlarged. 1 (No. 04 ) 



fine gravel with few animal forms, but among them 

 one of extraordinary interest, a large specimen of a 

 fine species of the genus Pour! alexia, a heart-urchin, 

 one of whose congeners had been discovered by 

 M. de Pourtales in the gulf-stream explorations off 

 the American coast, and a second by Mr. Gwyn 

 Jeffreys near Rockall. The present example (Fig. 12) 

 was much larger than either of those previously 

 dredged, and it appeared to be specifically distinct. 



1 I have the pleasure of dedicating this interesting species to our 

 accomplished colleague, -1. Gwyn Jeffreys, F.R.S. 



