Miscellaneous. 89 



intervening depths. Not only will an insight be thus obtained into 

 a world scarcely known heretofore, but that knowledge will have a 

 direct bearing on many of the phenomena of that great current. 

 Thus a new light may be thrown on its powers of transportation 

 from shallow to deeper water, or along its bed, on its action in 

 forming deposits in particular localities, or on its possible influence 

 on the growth of coral reefs on its shores. 



The first campaign on this plan was organized in 1867, the field 

 of research being in a section between Key West and Havana, inci- 

 dentally with the purpose of sounding out the line for the telegraph- 

 cable, shortly afterwards laid between these two points. The Coast- 

 Survey steamer 'Corwin' was assigned to the work ; and here I wish 

 to express my thanks to my colleague, Assistant H. Mitchell, charged 

 with the physical part of the campaign, and to Captain Piatt and 

 his officers for the interest they showed in my work, and for their 

 valuable practical aid. 



The expedition was unfortunately interrupted by the breaking 

 out of yellow fever on board ; so that the dredgings were few in 

 number. However, short as the season's work was, and few as 

 were the casts of the dredge, the highly interesting fact was dis- 

 closed, that animal life exists at great depths, in as c/reat diversity 

 and as c/reat abundance as in shallow water. 



The identifications of the species have been made by me at the 

 Museum of Comparative Zoology at Cambridge, in the rich collections 

 of which I have found abundant material for comparison ; facilities 

 of every sort were afforded me by Professor Agassiz, for which I 

 wish to express my heartfelt thanks, as also for this opportunity of 

 prompt publication. 



The first dredgings were made on May 17th, on the Florida side 

 of the Gulf-stream, about five miles S.S.W. of Sand Key, in depths 

 varying from 90 to 100 fathoms, on a bottom of calcareous mud. 

 The following list comprises the animals obtained : — 



Articulates. — A number of small Crustacea were brought up, 

 which have not yet been determined. They belong to the following 

 or allied genera: — Dromia, Ilia, Mithrax? (a mutilated specimen), 

 Pagurus, Eiqjharisia, and Orcliestia. 



The tubes of several species of Annelids were obtained, but the 

 animals were in most cases too defective for identification. The 

 largest and best -preserved is Morpliysa floridana, nov. sp. There 

 are also tubes of one or more species of Serpula. 



The Gephyreans are represented by Sijivncidus corallicola, Pourt. 

 (Proc. Am. Assoc. 1851). 



IlollusJiS not determined specifically. These are mostly immature 

 specimens or fragments of dead shells, and belong to the following 

 genera: — Murex (dead). Turbo? (operculum), Leda (living), Astarte 

 (living), Tellina (dead). Of Pteropods dead shells of the following 

 species: — Hyalea tridentata, Hyalea trispinosa, Cuvieria columella, 

 Cleodora lanceolata. The shells of this order are very common in 

 deep-sea soundings. The Bryozoa are represented by Vincularia 

 margaritacea, nov. sp. 



Eadiata. — Of Echinoderms were obtained an Ophinrian (an arm, 



