Dredging in the Trinidad Channel. 7* 



Labiopora — one of which Mr. Stuart Ridley of the British Museum 

 has ascertained to be a species new to science — and a fine orange- 

 coloured Astrophyton of a new species, recently described by Mr. 

 F. J. Bell as A. Lymani. 



On the north side of the Trinidad Channel we stopped for a 

 time at an anchorage near Cape Gamboa, which forms the north 

 headland of the entrance. At Cape Gamboa the rock is a clay- 

 slate showing distinct stratification, containing concretions of a 

 whitish sandstone, and dipping to the N. E. at an angle of about 4 5°. 

 To the eastward of Cape Gamboa is a limestone similar to that 

 of the south shore. We did some dredging here on a smooth 

 sandy bottom, the principal results of which were specimens of 

 the Chimcera {Callorhynchus australis), and some curious Isopod 

 Crustaceans of the genus Serolis. Another day (March 28th) 

 when sounding across the entrance of the Channel, we made a 

 heave of the trawl in thirty fathoms with most fruitful results, 

 obtaining a magnificent specimen of the orange-coloured Astro- 

 phyton {A. Lymani), several small rays and flat fish, large Actinia, 

 a new Crustacean of the genus Arcturns, starfishes, and a 

 Cephalopod Mollusc of the genus Rossia. On the evening of this 

 day we were fortunate enough to witness a most beautiful sunset 

 effect. As the sun disappeared from a western olive-tinted sky it 

 seemed to be followed in its descent by several horizontal bands 

 of delicate rose-tinted stratus clouds, which extended themselves 

 in parallel lines over an arc of 45°, and finally tapered away into 

 the most delicate threads of silvery light. In the east the dark 

 purple-tinted clouds melted upwards into the grey gloom of 

 approaching night, and foreshadowed to us the advent of another 

 day of sunshine in this the only really fine and summer month in 

 these western channels. 



At the head of Francisco Bay — which was the name subse- 

 quently given to this anchorage — at the outlet of a small river, we 

 one day made a very large " take " of fish in a somewhat singular 

 manner. A trammel net had been placed across the mouth of tha 



