CHAPTER XV 



XHe Secrets of tKe Sea 



FOR a number of years past I have cruised 

 and dredged during the months of May 

 and June with Mr. John B. Henderson of 

 Washington in his power boat the Eolis 

 in and about the Hawk Channel and on the 

 "Pourtales Plateau." These trips were made 

 expressly for study and to collect the marine 

 fauna. They have afforded me exceptional oppor- 

 tunities for observation and the gathering of data. 

 The Hawk Channel, lying between the Florida 

 Keys and the reefs, has been described in another 

 chapter. The Pourtales Plateau is a long narrow 

 stretch of rock bottom lying some miles without 

 and parallel with the Florida reef. It begins 

 southwest of Sand Key and ends about opposite 

 the southern end of Key Largo. It lies just within 

 the edge of the Gulf Stream or between the 100-200 

 fathom lines. 



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