22 ZOOLOGICAL LOG OF THE SCOTIA 



record catch to-day. About a dozen paddies, two or three snowy petrels, two nellies 

 and four black-backed gulls were seen to-day. 



May 5th. The dredge contained the usual molluscs, crustaceans, " worms," star- 

 fishes, several holothuriaus and several sponges. The trap contained seven fish, five 

 female and two male, total weight 7 Ibs. 10 ozs., the usual amphipods and several 

 star-fishes. The fish contained a nematode and other " ova-like " parasitic forms, 

 which have beep preserved. A considerable number of snowy petrels were seen on 

 ridge of Mossman Peninsula between Scotia Bay and Wilton Bay at about 490 feet. 

 One black-backed gull and one nelly besides several paddies were also observed. 



May 6th. Two hauls of the dredge were taken as usual but the catch was small, 

 except for some four or five holothurians, pycnogons, limpets, a few species of sponge, 

 five star-fish, a polychaete, a large nemertean and a tunicate. The trap contained 

 nothing but amphipods. The number of species of birds is rapidly diminishing, only 

 paddies and snowy petrels being seen to-day. One paddy came on board of its own 

 accord and found its way into the 'tween deck laboratory in search of food, but other- 

 wise these birds seem hardly so tame as they were at first ; probably they have been 

 frightened by the dogs chasing them. 



May 7th. Quite a number of frozen-over seal holes were seen in Jessie Bay. 

 A specimen of the same holothurian as was obtained on the 10th April was caught 

 in the dredge, also two specimens of the large scarlet pycnogon 1 (caught on April 

 27th and figured on the 21st). The two specimens were in the act of copulation 

 as before, and, when separated in the laboratory on two occasions, again tried to copulate. 

 The one (as in the specimen of April 27th) was slightly darker than the other, and it 

 was probably the female, but this was not positively observed. In addition, smaller 

 pycnogons, amphipods, cushion-stars, a sea-urchin, another holothurian, several 

 polychaetes and a small lamellibranch were also contained in the catch. Nothing was 

 caught in the trap to-day. The birds seen were paddies and snowy petrels, two shags 

 flying north, a nelly over Jessie Bay, and three gulls in the same place, while 

 during the afternoon a solitary gentoo penguin came up from the south, crossed The 

 Beach and moved towards Saddle Island over Jessie Bay. Two paddies are now^on 

 board, one came of its own accord, the other was found by Mr Bruce on the ice partly 

 frozen. Both have become quite tame. A paddy was also observed bathing in the water 

 at the edge of Uruguay Cove to-day. 



An experiment was begun yesterday with a view of finding out the power of 

 animals to resist freezing. Two living cushion-stars and a sea-urchin were frozen in 

 salt water in a basin on deck for 24 hours and then thawed out gradually, but all were 

 dead. The thawing was however not very satisfactory and was possibly too fast ; 

 further experiments are being made. 



May 8th. Both hauls of the dredge were poor, and the catch consisted of cushion- 

 stars, star-fish, pycnogons, a holothurian, some large nemerteans, bryozoa and small 



1 Decalopoda australis. 



