308 THE DEPTHS OF THE SEA. [CHAP. vn. 



mity two ocean areas with totally different bottom 

 climates a fact which, taken along with the dis- 

 covery of abundant animal life at all depths, has 

 most important bearings upon the distribution of 

 marine life, and upon the interpretation of palteon to- 

 logical data. 



The conditions during the 6 Lightning ' cruise were 

 so unfavourable to careful observation, that we deter- 

 mined to take the earliest opportunity of going over 

 this region again, and determining the limits of these 

 warm and cold areas, and investigating their con- 

 ditions more in detail. Accordingly, in the follow- 

 ing year, when we had H.M.S. 'Porcupine 5 at our 

 disposal, Dr. Carpenter and I once more left Storno- 

 way on the 15th of August, 1869. On this occasion 

 we had everything in our favour; the weather was 

 beautiful, the vessel suitable, and we were provided 

 with Miller- Casella thermometers on whose accuracy 

 we could depend. A table of Captain Calver's valu- 

 able thermometrical observations during this cruise 

 is given in Appendix A to this chapter. 



We proceeded to very nearly the same spot whei 

 we had taken our first sounding on the former year, 

 and took a warm area temperature of 7'7 C. Statio] 

 No. 46 (Plate IV.). We then moved on slowly 

 towards the Faeroe fishing banks, finding in succes- 

 sion at Stations 47, 49, and 50, - 6'5, 7*6, and 7'9 C. 

 At Station 51, about 40 miles south of the bank, 

 there was a decided fall of temperature the ther- 

 mometer indicating 5*6 C. at a depth of 440 fathoms ; 

 and about 20 miles directly northwards a soundin< 

 at Station 52, lat. 60 25' N., long. 8 10' W., at 

 depth of only 380 fathoms, gave a minimum tern- 



