174 



THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE. 



Baskets were passed about speedily and the 



different varieties of fish were gathered 



separately with the aid of pointed hooks. 



l>:!ioto. — H. (>. Kleti-her. 



sandy-i)ink in colour, with fine reticu- 

 lating white lines running irregularly 

 over the surface; like its fellows, it has 

 n ci-eamy-white belly. Other things are 

 in abundance; seaweeds, and beautiful 

 nleyonarian corals with their variety of 

 <lelicate fern-like branches, being strewn 

 about. These particular corals are 

 grouped Avith the commoner ones of our 

 acquaintance, but to the casual observer 

 such a relationship seems to be out of 

 ]ilace. The structure of the "animal" 

 and its liabits, however, determines their 

 ]K)sition under this head (class Acti- 

 nozoa). They are commonly known as 

 "soft" corals, for they are more flexible, 

 and do not possess the same hard cal- 

 careous skeletal texture as their reef- 

 building cousins. Multicoloured sea ane- 

 mones (order Aetiniaria) and slimy 

 si)onges {Fori f era), dragged from their 

 (M-ean moorings, lie scattered around, 

 while myriads of sea urchins [Phi/lla- 

 canthm) protest against their harsh 

 tr^-atment by slowly moving their long 

 barbed spines. These latter quaint crea- 

 tures are evidently extremely plentiful 

 in the depths, for in every haul great 

 numbers were brought to light from their 



homes at the bottom of the sea. Tliey 

 are armed with long stout spines whicli 

 are attaclied by ball and socket joints 

 to the outside of the corona or test of 

 the animal. Their general colour is 



l)rownish-green, save for some smaller 

 secondary spines, which are pinkish. 

 Hermit crabs {Clibauarius & Durdanus) 

 in their stolen shell homes shyly peep 

 out as if to take note of their new sur- 

 roundings, and hastily retreat at the 

 first sign of interference. Sea lilies 

 (Ptilometra mulleri) cling to the net, 

 displaying their frail, red, feather-like 

 arms, doomed to no longer sport these 

 pretty appendages in the current of 

 some ocean garden. Beautiful in its 

 life colours is the "fire-brick" starfish 

 {Asterodiscus truncatus), with its red, 

 yellow, and blue mushroom-like tubercles, 

 showing up brilliantly in the glow of 

 the electric light. Amidst such a pro- 

 fusion of wealth from the deep, one is 

 lost in admiration and wonder, and im- 

 bued with the truth expressed in tlie 

 lines of the ancient rhyme. — 

 "Wliat wonderful sights the diver must 



see. 

 When walking alone in the depths 



of the sea." 



The crew soon set to work to clear 

 the deck of the marketable portion of 

 the catch. Baskets were passed about 

 speedily, and the different varieties of 

 tish were gathered separately with the 

 aid of mounted hooks. Almost lief ore 

 one realised it the tally of the catch was 

 shouted to the skipper for notation, and 

 the fish were passed through the hatch 

 into the ice store below. Here each kind 

 was allotted its respective well, where 

 alternate layers of fish and ice were 

 accumulated as the store increased. On 

 the completion of this work there re- 

 mained only the ''rubbish'' to be dealt 

 with, which consisted mainly of the small 

 rays and sharks, saw sharks, and other 

 inedible varieties, as well as undersized 

 fishes of the marketable kinds. This was 

 assisted through the scuppei's with the 

 aid of Jiose and broom, a rather unfor- 

 tunate occurrence, since in its treatment 

 lies the basis of much profit, as a by- 

 product. Meantime the net had been 

 lowered again and quietness recurred as 

 before. With the exception of the man 



