AGASSIZ : BAHAMAS. 97 



of the clouds, is often seen at great distances ; it is known to the bank 

 fishermen as the bank blink. 



Our pilot informed me that in from six to ten fathoms of water on 

 the southern part of the east face and the southern face of the bank there 

 are large tracts covered by a species of Thalassia, judging from his de- 

 scription of the weed. 



We examined the bottom on the Caicos Bank on our way across from 

 French Cay to Long Cay. As we steamed along we came upon patches 

 of Gorgonians and of large heads of corals (Astraeans) separated by long 

 irregular lanes of sand, or nearly choked by it. The coral belt of the 

 western face of the bank was, where we followed it, in from four to ten 

 fathoms, although limited in extent, of a rather more luxuriant growth 

 than on the east face of the bank. At Molasses Reef it has reached the 

 surface, and isolated patches are exposed at low tide. The bottom con- 

 sisted mainly of broken shells and of seolian sand, more or less tied 

 together by the roots of calcareous algse. 



On leaving Caicos Bank the fine white seolian cliffs of the southeast 

 end of Long Cay formed a prominent landmark, and gave us an excel- 

 lent idea of the extent of the disintegration of all that side of the Caicos 

 Bank land. The Turk's Island Passage is remarkable for the abundance 



LONG CAY. 



of its pelagic life. In the first place, gulf-weed was most abundant ; 

 Append icularise in their houses swarmed ; a species of Mertensia was a 

 common Ctenophore ; Liriope, annelid and crustacean larva?, embryos 

 of corals, Pneumodermon-like Pteropods, large and small Arachnactis ; — 

 in fact, a finer display of pelagic types than we found anywhere in our 

 cruise outside of the track of the Gulf Stream between the Cuban coast 

 and Florida. 



Great Inagua. 



Plates I. and Till. ; Plate TI. Figr. 3 ; Plate IX. Fig. 3. 



Inagua is about forty-five miles long ; its outline is most irregular, its 

 greatest breadth being only eighteen miles. East Hill, the highest point 

 on the island, stands on its east face, and is one hundred and thirty-two 

 vol. xxvi. — no. 1. 7 



