lOO 



NA TUBE 



[yune I, 1876 



seen. This tree, belonging to the family Rhamnaceae, is 

 peculiar to these islands and to Amsterdam Island, in 

 the South Indian Ocean. Lomaria alpina, when found 

 in stony places, bore fertile fronds, while those growing in 

 rich vegetable mould were barren. Some of our common 

 weeds were finding themselves at home, such as the sow- 

 thistle. That lovely little cinchonaceous plant, Nertera 

 depressa, was very abundant. Growing round the island 

 was a belt of that gigantic sea-weed, Macrocystis pyrifera, 

 which abounds in the southern temperate zone. Single 

 plants often grow to a length of 200 feet, and it is said 

 that they sometimes are met with from 700 to i ,000 feet 

 in length, forming cable-like masses nearly as thick as a 

 man's body. There was no time to explore the high pla- 

 teau ; but one interesting observation was made, indi- 

 cating the presence of snow on the hills, for while the 

 temperature of the fresh- water ponds at the sea-level gave 

 a result of 54° F., that of the streams running down the 

 cliffs was but 50° F. 



They had an opportunity of visiting the two other islands 

 ofthis group, Inaccessible Island, about twenty-three miles 

 W. by S. of Tristan d'Acunha, and Nightingale Island, 

 about twelve miles from Inaccessible Island. On this latter 



two Germans were found, who had succeeded in cultivating 

 the ground in the neighbourhood of their dwelling. On 

 both islands Phylica arborea was found, and the trees 

 were covered with fully-developed green fruits. A tussock 

 grass, apparently very close to Dactylis ccsspitosa, of the 

 Falklands, grew in immense, almost impenetrable masses 

 on Nightingale Island, amid these countless penguins 

 had established themselves. It was but with the greatest 

 difficulty that a passage could be forced through such a 

 thicket, the grass being too high to allow of the planning 

 of any definite track, and the screaming and biting of the 

 penguins was the reverse of agreeable. This island is 

 never visited except during the sealing season, and is not 

 over one square mile in extent, a veritable speck in the 

 ocean. 



The ship's head was now turned for Simon's Bay. Five 

 stations between these points were selected for observa- 

 tion. The depth varied on this line from 2,100 to 2,650 

 fathoms, the bottom yielding red mud at the greater, and 

 grey mud at the lesser depths. The 28th of October saw 

 the Challenger at anchor off Capetown. 



Simon's Bay was left about the 14th of December, six 

 weeks having been spent in recruiting and refitting. Even 



I T FiG. 9 — Sand-glacier, Berpiudas. 



in the comparatively well-worked-out district of Capetown 

 new discoveries were made, of which by far the most im- 

 portant was Mr. Moseley's discovery of the tracheal system 

 in Peripatus capensis, an account of which has been pub- 

 lished in a late volume of the Philosophical Transactions. 

 This tracheal system, though conspicuous in the fresh con- 

 dition, becomes scarcely visible when the animal has been 

 some time in spirit, and the air has been thus removed, 

 hence the failure of Grube, Saenger, and others to see it. 

 The first soundings during the southern course were taken 

 in the region of the Agulhas Current on the 17th and i8th 

 of December. These soundings would have been naturally 

 logged " greenish sand," but on examination were found 

 to consist almost without exception of the casts of for- 

 aminifera in one of the complex silicates of alumina, iron 

 and potash, probably some form of glauconite ; this kind of 

 bottom had been met with once or twice, but is evidently 

 qu'te exceptional. Going still south, Marion Island was 

 visited for a few hours and a considerable collection of 

 pknts, including nine flowering species, was made. Dredg- 

 ing near the island gave a large number of species, many 

 representing northern types, but with a mixture of southern 

 forms. On the 30th of December, being then between 



Prince* Edward's Island and the Croztts, the dredge was 

 let down to a depth of 1,600 fathoms, and a vast number 

 of species belonging to the well-known genera Euplectella, 

 Hyalonona, UTnbellitla7'ia, Pourtalesia, as well as two new 

 genera of stalked crinoids, several quite new spatangoids, 

 and several remarkable Crustacea were taken. 



1874 



The new year opened with a storm, and they could not 

 land on Possession Island, on account of the weather ; 

 though a dredging in 210 and another in 550 fathoms 

 about eighteen miles to S.W. of the island were made 

 with satisfactory results. On the 7th of January Kerguelen 

 Island was reached, and the Challenger remained there 

 till the 1st of February. During that time Dr. v. Willemoes- 

 Suhm was chiefly occupied in working out the land fauna, 

 Mr. Moseley collected the plants, Mr. Buchanan attended to 

 the geological features, while Prof. Wyville Thomson and 

 Mr. Murray dredged in the shallow waters round the islands 

 with the steam-pinnace. Many observations were' made, 

 some on the development of the Echinoderms, and great 

 collections were stored away. On one occasion the trawl 



