CHAP, ii.] THE CRUISE OF THE 'LIGHTNING: (J5 



water. The operation seemed however to present no 

 special difficulty, and nearly every haul was success- 

 i ful. The bottom was sand and gravel, mostly derived 

 i from the disintegration of the old rocks of the Scottish 

 ; plateau. Animal life was not abundant, but several 

 groups were fairly represented. Sandy rhizopods of a 

 i large size were numerous, and there were several con- 

 i spicuous crustaceans and echinoderms, among the latter 

 \ an example of Astropecten tenuispinus, of a brilliant 

 1 scarlet colour, which came up entangled on the line. 



On the 31st bad weather set in again, and we could 

 neither sound nor dredge. On the 1st of September 

 we got one temperature sounding in 550 fathoms with 

 - 1 0< 2 C., but could do no work. 



The next day, September 2, was more moderate, 



and we dredged all day at a depth of only 170 fathoms 



over a very restricted shoal, which, singularly enough, 



we could not find when we sought for it the year 



after in the * Porcupine.' Here we found animal 



,life abundant and varied a mixture of Celtic and 



! Scandinavian forms. The bottom was chiefly small 



rounded pebbles of the dark anamesite of the Faeroes. 



and sticking to them, singly or in little groups like 



plums on their stems, were many large specimens 



of the rare brachiopod Terebratula cranium, O. E. 



1 MULLER, along with abundance of the commoner form 



Terebratulina caput-serpentis, L. 



The following day, September 3, we were again in 

 deep water, about 500 fathoms, with a bottom tem- 

 perature a little below the freezing-point, the thermo- 

 meter at the surface giving 10- 5 C. Here we took 

 representatives of many invertebrate groups rhizo- 

 pods, sponges, echinoderms, crustaceans, and molluscs; 



