8 EXPEDITION OF THE "ALBATROSS," 1899-1900. 



collection of surface animals is quite extensive, and many interesting forms 

 were obtained. As regards the deeper hauls, they only contirm what has 

 been my experience on former expeditions, that beyond 300 to 350 fathoms 

 very little animal life is found, and in the belt above 300 fathoms the 

 greater number of many so-called deep-sea Crustaceans and deep-sea fishes 

 were obtained. I may mention that we obtained Pelagothuria at about 

 100 fathoms from the surface. 



We trawled at Station 10 in 3088 fathoms. Unfortunately, the trawl 

 was not successful, and we simply hauled the bag through over 3000 

 fathoms without bringing up a single deep-sea animal from intermediate 

 depths which we did not obtain quite near the surface — at less than 

 300 fathoms. I may mention here that the experience of the " Valdivia" 

 shows, from the preliminary reports published by Professor Chun,' that 

 pelagic algiB do not extend to beyond about 150 fathoms. Although he 

 also states that animal life is found at all deptlis from the surface to the 

 bottom, yet he states that beyond 800 meters it diminishes very rapidly; 

 Professor Chun does not state whether this diminution is more rapid awny 

 from land than near continental areas, both of which conditions I had called 

 especial attention to in my Preliminary Report on the " Albatross " expe- 

 dition of 1891, while using the Tanner net in the Gulf of California.^ 

 Mr. George Murray has criticised the action of the Tanner deep-sea net, 

 and condemns its results, suggesting that the bottom net had always 

 closed some time after being sent down.^ I need not now discuss tliat sub- 

 ject, but will only refer him to the report of the "Albatross," in which 

 he will find the closed part o[ tlie net to have on several occasions brought 

 up (when I expected it to do so) specimens from over 600 fatlioms from 

 immediately above the bottom, or samples of the bottom from near 1700 

 fathoms while attempting to tow immediately above that depth. I ought, 

 in justice to him, to state that I omitted to mention tliat we secured the 

 loops by twine to the detacher to insure their dropping only when the 



» Die Deutschu Tiefsee Expedition 1898-99. Zeits. d. Gesell. fur Erdkunde zu liorlin, 1899, 

 XXXIV., Heft 2. 



■^ Bull. M. C. Z., 1892, Vol. XXIII., Xo. 1. pp. 10, 4"). 



» George Murray. Exploration of the iiilerini'dialc ilcptlis of the ocean. Geog. Mag., XIII., No. 2, 

 February, 1899, p. 152. 



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