NARRATIVE OP THE CRUISE. 125 



On the 18th February a dredging was taken in 1525 fathoms, about 160 miles S.W. 

 of Ferro Island (see Sheet 6, Station 3), which has proved to be one of the most curious 

 during the whole cruise. Two soundings were taken at the same spot, giving 1520 and 

 1525 fathoms. The Hydra tube in both cases came up empty, but was marked on the 

 outside with black streaks. The dredge was lowered at 10 a.m., with 2200 fathoms 

 of line, and 2 cwt. of sinkers 300 fathoms from the dredge, and at 5.30 p.m. it was 

 hauled up, and contained some large branches of an Alcyonarian Coral allied to Corallium. 1 

 Some of the larger branches were nearly an inch. in diameter. The central portion of the 

 axis was very compact and of a pure white colour, while the surface was glossy black. 

 The bases of the Coral were attached to large fragments of what turned out to be 

 portions of manganese-iron concretions, which appeared to have been torn away from 

 still larger masses. The whole of the Coral was dead, and appeared to have been 

 so for a long time, as its sui'face was everywhere covered by a deposit of peroxide of 

 manganese. It is not improbable, however, that the Coral lived at the depth at which 

 it was dredged, at the time the deposit of the manganese was going on, inasmuch as the 

 flattened bases of the Coral were seen between the concentric layers of manganese 

 nodules to which they were attached. 



Attached to the branches of the Coral there was a magnificent specimen of a 

 Hexactinellid sponge, allied to Hyalonema, which has been described by Professor C. 

 Wyville Thomson under the name of Poliopogon amadou 2 (see p. 439). The basal 

 portions of the sponge had some patches of Globigerina ooze attached to them, made up of 

 pelagic Foraminifera, Pteropods, Heteropods, Coccoliths, Ehabdoliths, otoliths of Fish, 

 fragments of Echinoderms, and a good many particles of volcanic minerals. An Ophiurid, 

 portions of a Brisinga, several Annelids, several Polyzoa, and one or two Corals came up 

 in the same dredge. 



With the exception of a few stormy Petrels and an occasional Puffin, no birds 

 approached the ship while making this passage of the Atlantic. This was in striking 

 contrast with experiences in more northern and southern latitudes, where large numbers 

 of sea birds usually followed in the wake of the ship. The tow-net was frequently 

 used, but not so constantly or systematically as in the latter part of the cruise ; and while 

 the vessel was engaged in sounding and dredging operations, boats were frequently 

 lowered to enable the Naturalists to pick up the animals on the surface of the sea, but life 

 was not found so abundant in this trade wind region as during the voyage from Gibraltar 

 to Madeira. Towards the western portion of the Atlantic, large masses of Gulf Weed 

 were passed, and frequent excursions made to these patches in boats in order to 

 examine the animals living upon them (see p. 136). Dead shells of Spirula were frequently 



1 Mr. S. O. Ridley of the British Museum, who has examined specimens of this Coral, believes that they belong to a 

 species of Phurocorallium, Gray, probably the white or cream-coloured species Pleurocorallium johnnoni, Gray, which 

 occurs at Madeira. 



2 Voyage of the Challenger, The Atlantic, vol. i. p. 175, London, 1877. 



