Our Dredging Experiments. 19 



violet shells {laiilhiiia fmgilis), several Crustaceans, including a 

 large and perfect Glass-crab {Phyllosovid), and several large Salpa: 

 and MedusjE. 



On the 1 2th of November we entered the north limit of our 

 surveying ground, being in latitude 17° S., and in the vicinity of 

 theAbrolhos Bank. Here, in latitude 17° 18' S., longitude 35° 34' 

 W., we made a cast with Bailie's deep-sea sounding apparatus ; 

 reaching bottom in 1,975 fathoms, and finding it to consist of 

 " Globigerina mud," of a pasty tenacity, tinged with red, and 

 containing a great mass of Globigerina tests, whole and frag- 

 mentary. Later in the day, when in latitude 17° 32' S., longitude 

 35° 46' W., we again sounded, getting bottom in 700 fathoms, 

 and bringing up a sort of light-grey ooze. Towards evening we 

 struck soundings in thirty-five fathoms, over the Hotspur Bank. 

 There we made a successful haul of the dredge, finding the bottom 

 composed of dead coral encrusted with Nullipores, Polyzoa, and 

 slimy Alg.x, and containing in its crevices some Crustaceans of 

 the genera Acta;a and Corallana, and a few Annelids. The stony 

 masses of coral which we brought up were pierced in all direc- 

 tions by boring molluscs ; and one specimen of a long elaborately 

 woven sponge (which has since been described by Mr. S. O. 

 Ridley, of the British Museum, as a new variety of CladocJialina 

 armigerd) was found attached to a lump of coral. 



The next day we sounded in latitude 1 8° 4' S., longitude 

 36° i' W., using the Lucas wire sounder. We reached bottom 

 in 300 fathoms, the bulldog apparatus bringing up fragments of 

 coral rock encrusted with calcareous Alga;. In the afternoon we 

 passed into deeper water, sounding over the Globigerina ooze 

 area, in 1,395 ind 2,025 fathoms. The surface water again 

 exhibited the same conferva- like bodies wliich were so abun- 

 dantly obtained near Madeira. The Pyrocystis noctiluca was 

 also largely represented ; and in the evening the tow-net was 

 found to contain small cuttle fish, some dead spirorbis shells, 

 specimens of the Criseis ariculata, Cleodora p}ramidata, and of 



