28: 



NA TURE 



[January 21, 1892 



showing its mode of attachment to be similar to that of the 

 fossil Apiocrinidre. The number of Ophiurans was remarkably 

 small as compared with the fauna of deep waters on the Atlantic 

 side, where it often seems as if Ophiurans had been the first and 

 only objects created. The absence of deep-sea corals is also 

 quite striking. They play so important a part in the fauna of 

 the deeper waters of the West Indies, that the contrast is most 

 marked. Gorgonise and other Halcyonoids are likewise un- 

 common. We have found but few Siliceous Sponges, and all of 

 well-known types. Star-fishes are abundant, and are as well 

 represented in the variety of genera and species as on the At- 

 lantic side of the Isthmus. 1 may also mention the large num- 

 ber of deep-sea Holothurians (Elasipoda) which we obtained, 

 as well as a most remarkable deep-sea Actinian, closely allied 

 to Cerianthus, but evidently belonging to a new family of that 

 group. We found the usual types of deep-sea West Indian 

 Annelids, occasionally sweeping over large tracts of mud tubes 

 in the region of green mud. Although we dredged frequently 

 in most characteristic Globigerina ooze, I was much struck with 

 the absence of living Globigerinsc on the surface. Only on two 

 occasions during a calm did we come across any number of 

 surface Globigerinse and Orbulinas. On one occasion the trawl 

 came up literally filled with masses of a species of Rhabdamina 

 closely allied to R. lineata. Thus far, no pelagic Algse have 

 been met with. 



It is interesting to note that at two localities we came across 

 patches of modern greensand similar in formation to the patches 

 discovered off the east coast of the United States by the earlier 

 dredgings of the Coast Survey, of Pourlales, and of the 

 Blake. Having always been more or less interested in pelagic 

 faunje, and having paid considerable attention to its vertical 

 distribution during my earlier cruises in the Blake, I was natu- 

 rally anxious to reconcile the conflicting statements and expe- 

 riences of the naturalists of the Challenger and Gazelle on one 

 side, and my own observations on the other. Both Murray and 

 Studer contended that, in addition to the deep-sea and pelagic 

 faunae, there was what rright be called an intermediate fauna, 

 with characteristic species, having nothing in common with the 

 other two ; while I maintained, on the other hand, from my 

 experiments in the Blake, that there was no such intermediate 

 fauna, but that the pelagic fauna might descend to a consider- 

 able depth during the daytime to escape the effects of light, 

 heat, and the disturbing influence of surface winds, and that 

 this surface fauna on the Atlantic side — off shore in deep water 

 — did not descend much deeper than 150 to 200 fathoms. In 

 order to test this point. Dr. Chun, under the auspices of the 

 Naples Station, made an expedition to the Ponza Islands. Dr. 

 Chun applied to a tow-net an apparatus for closing it, similar t9 

 the propeller in use on our thermometer and water-cups. He 

 towed to a depth of 1400 metres, if I am not mistaken, but 

 never at any great distance from the mainland or from the 

 islands of the Gulf of Naples, and came to the conclusion that 

 the pelagic fauna existed all the way to the bottom. At the 

 time, I considered his experiments inconclusive, and was, of 

 course, anxious to repeat them in a strictly oceanic district, in 

 great depths, and at a considerable distance from shore. I had 

 an apparatus constructed by Ballauf, of Washington, similar to 

 that used by Dr. Chun. Unfortunately, in testing it we found 

 the pressure of the tow-net against the propeller shaft so great 

 as to make the machine useless, or, at any rate, most unreliable. 

 Thanks to the ingenuity of Captain Tanner, we overcame these 

 obstacles. He devised a net which could be closed at any depth 

 by a messenger, and which worked to perfection at 200, 460, 

 300, and 1000 fathoms, and had the great advantage of bringing 

 up anything it might find on its way up above the level at which 

 it was towed. The lower part of the bag alone was closed by 

 a double set of slings pulled by two weights liberated from a 

 bell crank by a messenger. We found that, in towing the net 

 at 200 fathoms for twenty minutes, we got everything in any 

 way characteristic of the surface fauna «hich we had fished up 

 with the tow-net at the surface. In addition to this, we brought 

 up five species of so-called deep sea Fishes, Scopelus, Gonostoma, 

 Beryx, and two others, which had thus far been brought up in 

 the trawl, and considered characteristic of deep water. Also a 

 peculiar Amphipod, and the young of the new species of Wille- 

 moesia mentioned above. We then tried the same net at 300 

 and 400 fathoms, and in neither case did we bring up anything 

 in the closed part of the bag, while the upper open part brought 

 up just what we had found previously at a depth of 200 fathoms, 

 plainly showing that in this district the surface fauna goes down 



NO. I 1 60. VOL. 45] 



to a depth of 200 fathoms, and no farther. Next came our 

 single attempt to bring up what might be found, say within 100 

 fathoms of the bottom, and Captain Tanner's net was towed at a 

 depth of 1000 fathoms where the soundings recorded iioo. Un- 

 fortunately, we deepened our water while towing only twenty 

 minutes to over 1400 fathoms, so that we failed in our exact 

 object. But we brought up in the closed part of the bag two 

 species of Crustacea, a Macruran and an Amphipod, both 

 entirely unlike anything we had obtained before. I hope in the 

 next cruise to follow this up, and determine also the upper limits 

 of the free-swimming deep-sea fauna. In the upper part of the 

 bag (the open part) we brought up a couple of so-called deep- 

 sea Medusa% which must have been collected at a comparatively 

 moderate depth, judging from their perfect state of preservation. 



I can hardly express my satisfaction at having the opportunity 

 to carry on this deep-sea work on the Albatross. While of course 

 I knew in a general way the great facilities the ship afforded, I 

 did not fully realize the capacity of the equipment until I came 

 to make use of it myself. I could not but contrast the luxurious 

 and thoroughly convenient appointments of the Albatross with 

 my previous experiences. The laboratory, with its ingenious 

 arrangements and its excellent accommodations for work by day 

 and by night, was to me a revelation. The assistance of Messrs. 

 Townsend and Miller in the care of the specimens was most 

 welcome, giving me ample time to examine the specimens during 

 the process of assorting them, and to make such notes as I could 

 between successive hauls, while paying some attention also to 

 the work of the artist, Mr. Westergren. He has found his time 

 fully occupied, and we have in this trip brought together a con- 

 siderable number of coloured drawings, giving an excellent 

 general idea of the appearance of the inhabitants of the deep 

 waters as they first come up. These drawings can be used to 

 great advantage with the specimens in making the final illustra- 

 tions to accompany the reports of the specialists who may have 

 charge of working up the diff"erent departments. . . . 



We left Panama on February 22, and returned to Panama 

 after an absence of twenty days. 



II. 



^^ Albatross," Aeapuleo, April li„ 1891. 

 We have reached the end of our second line of explorations. 

 After coaling we left Panama, and reached Galera Point, where 

 we began our line across the Humboldt Current, which was to 

 give us a fair idea of the fauna of that part of the coast as far as 

 the southern face of the Galapagos. With the exception of 

 three good casts, the trawling on that part of the sea bottom 

 proved comparatively poor, nor did the sea face of the southern 

 slope of the Galapagos give us anything like the rich fauna I had 

 expected. Theoretically, it seemed certain that a sea face like 

 that of the Galapagos, biathed as it is by a great current coming 

 from the south and impinging upon its slope, and carrying upon 

 its surface a mass of animal food, could not fail to co'islitute a 

 most favourable set of conditions for the subsistence and develop- 

 ment of a rich deep-sea fauna. 



In the deeper parts of the channel between Galera Point and 

 the southern face of Chatham Island, we found a great number 

 of Elasipoda, among them several genera like Peniagone, Batho- 

 dytes, and Euphrosyne, represented by numerous species. Th -" 

 Star-fishes of this, our second cruise, did not diff"er materially fro '"■> 

 those collected during our first trip, but we added some finf 

 species of Freyella, Hymenaster, Astrogonium, Asterina, and 

 Archasteridre to our collections. Among the Sea-urchins on 

 two occasions we brought up fine hauls of a species of 

 Cyitechinus with a hard test, many specimens of which_ were 

 in admirable state of preservation. Among the Ophiurans 

 nothing of importance was aHded, unless I may except a lot of 

 Ophiocreas attached to a Primnoa, and a pretty species of 

 Sigsbea attached to a species of AUopora, from the south side 

 of Chatham Island. 



The Gorgonians were remarkably few in number, which is 

 undoubtedly due to the unfavourable nature of the bottom we 

 worked upon. Nearly everywhere except on the face of the 

 Galapagos slope we trawled upon a bottom either muddy or 

 composed of Globigerina ooze, more or less contaminated with 

 terrestrial deposits, and frequently covered with a great amount 

 of decayed vegetable matter. We scarcely made a single haul 

 of the tr^wl which did not bring up a considerable amount of 

 decayed vegetable matter, and frequently logs, branches, twigs, 

 seeds, leaves, fruits, much as during our first cruise. 



