TEANSACTIONS OF SECTION D, DEPT. ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY. 603 



SA TURDA r, A UG.UST 28. 

 The Department did not meet. 



MONDAY, AUGUST 30. 



The following Keport and Papers were read : — 

 1. Beport on Accessions to otir Knowledge of the CMroptera during the past 

 two years (1878-1880). By G. E. Dobson, M.A., M.B., .3^.— See 

 Reports, p. 169. 



2. The Cruise of the 'Knight Errant.' 

 By Professor Sir C. Wytille Thomson, F.B.S. 



This paper was mainly phj-sical, and related to the temperature-conditions of 

 the sea-bed lying between our northern coasts and the Faroe Isles, Certain parts 

 of this submarine district had been ascertained by the author and Dr. Carpenter 

 during the cruises of the Lightning and Porciqnne in 1868 and 1869 to have 

 remarkably different temperatures; and they had distinguished these parts by the 

 names 'cold area' and 'warm area.' It had been inferred from observations in 

 H.M.S. Challenger that the phenomenon depended in this and similar cases upon 

 the interruption of the flow of the undercm-rent by a raised submarine ridge. 



The author, beuig desu-ous of working out this problem more completely, ap- 

 plied to the Admiralty for the use of a surveying vessel ; and, in compliance with 

 his request, the Xnight Errant was placed this summer at his disposal. Two 

 sectional lines of soimdings were taken at an average intermediate distance of ten 

 miles. The following were the results : — 



Second Line. 



A serial temperature-sounding was also taken in 540 fathoms. 



