ROMANCE OF DEPTHS OF THE SEA in 



ings found that the contents of the nets were, 

 on the whole, practically identical in character 

 when the nets were set at constant depths. Down 

 to 75 fathoms there were small colourless fish of 

 many species, fish eggs of many sizes, and larval 

 eels in several stages of growth. These were 

 accompanied by a series of transparent inverte- 

 brates of the usual pelagic type. From 150 

 down to 250 fathoms small silvery fish with tele- 

 scopic eyes, beautiful to look at but feeble swim- 

 mers, drifting hither and thither in the waters, 

 were taken. But perhaps the most numerous 

 of all fishes was a grey Cyclothone ; and here 

 too were found a number of red Crustacea. Be- 

 tween 500 fathoms and 1,000 fathoms the grey 

 Cyclothone was replaced by a completely black 

 but closely allied species ; red prawns were still 

 in abundance, and, what is more remarkable, 

 red Chaetognaths and red Nemertines, and there 

 were also numerous species of black fishes and 

 many dark brown medusae. In these deeper 

 hauls many animals of great rarity were taken : 

 for instance, the little-known Cephalopod Spirula 

 and a species of Melanocetus, the type of which 

 was only discovered the other day in the Indian 

 Ocean. Other fish were also taken which had 



