PEELIMIXAKY REPORT. 75 



tripped, but brought up three specimens of Mopsea and an Astroscheina 

 attaclied to it, of a pinlvisli-orange color, three Actiniae (Stephanactis), 

 pink in color, with warty columns, a Pheronema, and pieces of siliceous 

 sponges. A second haul in the same place brought up a couple of small 

 manganese nodules, surface fishes, Sternoptyx, and Cyclothone ; a large 

 black Malacosteus, like the Malacosteus indicus of Giinther, with long bar- 

 bels, a large eye, and a comma-shaped, phosphorescent organ, green-yellow 

 at the point ; the phosphorescence was quite brilliant when the fish was 

 placed in the dark. The spot was |" long, the eye itself was a beautiful 

 dark carmine. The net also contained Atolla Alexandri of Maas, and a 

 specimen of the thick-nosed phosphorescent surface fish, Ganadis, three 

 red deep-water prawns, two specimens of Benthesicymus. The latter we 

 have had from 300 fathoms in the open tow-net. 



At Station 31, in 2700 fathoms, lat. 12' 20' S., long. 144' 15' W. Red 

 clay. The sea being a little too heavy for a successful haul, the " Blake " 

 trawl came up with the net badly torn ; it must have had too heavy a load 

 of manganese nodules, as the part of the bag left contained about a plate 

 full of small, irregularly shaped nodules, incrusting also volcanic rock. The 

 net probably gave away as we broke ground, judging from the indications 

 of the accumulator. 



There is a marked contrast between the hauls on this oceanic line 

 (Stations 1-72) and our results in the '-Albatross" expedition of 1S91, 

 when never more than 700 miles from shore. We always made excellent 

 hauls, and there seemed to be an ample food supply on the bottom of 

 that area, brought by currents and winds from the mainland. 



At Station 73 we lowered the trawl in 807 fathoms, lat. 17' 27' S., long. 

 149° 32' W. Fine volcanic sand, Pteropods. It brought up a mass of fine 

 volcanic mud filled with sticks and leaves and decayed vegetation, frag- 

 ments of rocks and other telluric material, pieces of sugar cane, and frag- 

 ments of cocoanut shelLs. In addition, in the midst of this mixture, one 

 Holothurian, a Willemoesia, broken shells, fragments and specimens of 

 Hyalea and many other Pteropod .shells, also fragments of Lamellibranchs. 



At Station 133 we lowered the trawl in 742 fathoms, lat. 18° 05' S., 

 long. 142' 23' W. Ptei-opod ooze. The trawl came up in pieces ; the 



