June 25, 1874] 



NA TURE 



143 



animals from Sponges to Teleostei, that were met with in 

 nine successful dredgings, at depths beyond 1,000 

 fathoms, between the Cape and Australia. Many of them, 

 Prof. Thomson states, are new to science, and some are 

 of great interest from their relation to groups supposed 

 to be extinct. This is particularly the case with the 

 Echinodermata, which are here, as in the deep water in 

 the north, a very prominent group. 



During the present cruise special attention has been 

 paid to the nature of the bottom, and to any facts which 

 might throw light upon the source of its materials. This 

 department has been chiefly in the hands of Mr. Murray ; 

 and Prof. Thomson gives the following extracts from 

 Mr. Murray's notes : — 



" In the soundings about the Angulhas bank, in 100 to 

 150 fathoms, the bottom was of a greenish colour, and 

 contained many crystalline particles (some dark-coloured 

 and some clear) of Foraminifera, species of OibuUna, 

 Globigeriiia, and Pulvinulina; a pretty species of 

 Uvigerina, Plaitoibiilina, Miliolina, Bulimina, and 

 Numiniiliiia. There were very few Diatoms. 



" In the deep soundings and dredgings before reaching 

 the Crozets, in 1,900, 1,570, and 1,375 fathoms, the bottom 

 was composed entirely of Oiiuilhia, Clobign'iiia, and 

 Pjik'iitnliua, the same species which we get on the surface, 

 but all of a white colour and dead. Of Foraminifera, 

 which we have not got on the surface, I noticed one 

 Rotalia and one Polystomclla, both dead. Some Cocco- 

 liths and Rhabdoliths were also found in the samples from 

 these soundings. On the whole, these bottoms were, I 

 think, the purest carbonate of lime we have ever obtained. 

 When the soundings were placed in a bottle, and shaken 

 up wiih water, the whole looked like a quantity of sago. 

 The Puli'inuli)UT were smaller than in the dredgings in 

 the Atlantic. We had no soundings between the Crozets 

 and Kerguelen. 



" The specimens of the bottom about Kerguelen were 

 all from depths from 1 20 to 10 fathoms, and consisted 

 usually of dark mud, with an offensive sulphurous smell. 

 Those obtained farthest from land were made up almost 

 entirely of matted sponge-spicules. In these soundings 

 one species of Rolalina and one other Foraminifera oc- 

 curred. 



" At 150 fathoms, between Kerguelen and Heard Island, 

 the bottom was composed of basaltic pebbles. The bottom 

 at Heard Island was much the same as at Kerguelen. 

 The sample obtained from a depth of 1,260 fathoms, 

 south of Heard Island, was quite different from anything 

 we had previously obtained. It was one mass of Diatoms, 

 of many species, and mixed with these a few small Globi- 

 gerinje and Radiolarians, and a very few crystalline par- 

 ticles. 



" The soundings and dredgings while we were among 

 the ice in 1,675, 1,800, 1,300, and 1 975, gave'another totally 

 distinct deposit of yellowish clay, with pebbles and small 

 stones, and a considerable admixture of Diatoms, Radio- 

 larians, and Globigerinffi. The clay and pebbles were 

 evidently a sediment from the melting icebergs, and the 

 Diatoms, Radiolarians, and Foraminifera were from the 

 surface-waters. 



" The bottom, from 1,950 fathoms, on our way to Aus- 

 tralia from the Antarctic, was again exactly similar to 

 that obtained in the 1,260 fathoms sounding south of 



Heard Island. The bottom at i,Soo fathoms, a little 

 farther to the north (lat. 50° i' S., long. 123' 4' E.), was 

 again pure ' Globigerina-ooze,' composed of Orbuliiicr, 

 Globigeriiia; and Pulviiniliiuc. 



"The bottom at 2,150 fathoms (lat. 47° 25' S., long. 

 130" 32' E.) was similar to the last, with a reddish tinge, 

 and that at 2,600 fathoms (lat. 42° 42' S., long. 134° 10' E.) 

 was reddish clay, the same which we got at like depths in 

 the Atlantic, and contained manganese nodules and much 

 decomposed Foraminifera." 



Mr. Murray, Prof. Thomson goes on to say, "has been 

 induced by the observations which have been made in 

 the Atlantic, to combine the use of the towing-net at 

 various depths from the surface to 150 fathoms, with the 

 examination of the samples from the soundings. And 

 this double work has led him to a conclusion (in which I 

 am now forced entirely to concur, although it is certainly 

 contrary to my former opinion) that the bulk of the mate- 

 rial of the bottom in deep water is in all cases derived 

 from the surface. 



" Mr. Murray has demonstrated the presence of Globi- 

 gerinte, Pulvinulinre, and Urbulina; throughout all the 

 upper layers of the sea over the whole of the area where 

 the bottom consists of ' Globigerina-ooze' or of the red 

 clay produced by the decomposition of the shells of Fora- 

 minifera ; and their appearance when living on the sur- 

 face is so totally different from that of the shells at the 

 bottom, that it is impossible to doubt that the latter, even 

 although they frequently contain organic matter, are all 

 dead. I mean this to refer only to the genera mentioned 

 above, which particularly form the ooze. Many other 

 Foraminifera undoubtedly live in comparatively small 

 numbers, along with animals of higher groups, on the 

 bottom." 



It is very curious to note that in the extreme south the 

 conditions were so severe as greatly to interfere with all 

 work. "We had," Prof. Thomson says, "no arrange- 

 ment for heating the work-rooms, and at a temperature 

 which averaged for some days 25° F. the instruments 

 became so cold that it was unpleasant to handle them, and 

 the vapour of the breath condensed and froze at once upon 

 glass and brass work. Dredging at the considerable 

 depths which we found near the Antarctic circle became 

 a severe and somewhat critical operation, the gear being 

 stiffened and otherwise affected by the cold, and wc could 

 not repeat it often. 



"The evening of Feb. 23 was remarkably fine and calm, 

 and it was arranged to dredge on the following morning. 

 The weather changed somewhat during the night, and the 

 wind rose. Captain Nares was, however, most anxious to 

 carry out our object, and the dredge was put over at 5 a.m. 

 We were surrounded by icebergs, the wind continued to 

 rise, and a thick snow-storm came on from the south-east. 

 After a time of some anxiety the dredge was got in all 

 right ; but, to our great disappointment, it was empty — 

 probably the drift of the ship and the motion had prevented 

 its reaching the bottom. In the meantime the wind had 

 risen to a whole gale, force = 10 in the squalls, the ther- 

 mometer fell to 2i"-5 F., the snow drove in a dry blinding 

 cloud of exquisite star-like crystals, which burnt the 

 skin as if they had been red hot, and we were not sorry to 

 be able to retire from the dredging-bridge. 



"The specific gravity of the water has been taken 



