﻿lEEDALE 
  : 
  MAEIXE 
  MOLLTJSCA 
  FROM 
  KERMADEC 
  ISLA.KDS. 
  69 
  

  

  good 
  results 
  were 
  hoped 
  for 
  from 
  a 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  chart 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  

   dredging. 
  

  

  The 
  south 
  and 
  south-east 
  coasts 
  sheer 
  down 
  immediately, 
  ofP 
  the 
  

   south-east 
  corner 
  over 
  200 
  fathoms 
  being 
  plumbed 
  within 
  a 
  quarter 
  

   of 
  a 
  mile 
  of 
  land, 
  whilst 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  off 
  over 
  5000 
  fathoms 
  are 
  

   obtained. 
  The 
  south 
  coast 
  varies 
  from 
  50 
  to 
  150 
  fathoms 
  quite 
  

   close 
  in. 
  The 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  west 
  bay, 
  however, 
  is 
  under 
  30 
  fathoms, 
  

   steepening 
  immediately 
  outside 
  the 
  points. 
  The 
  north 
  coast 
  runs 
  

   out 
  under 
  30 
  fathoms 
  for 
  about 
  2 
  miles, 
  and 
  then 
  sheers 
  down. 
  

   The 
  east 
  coast 
  inside 
  the 
  islets 
  is 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  depth, 
  dropping 
  

   immediately 
  adjacent 
  to 
  the 
  islets 
  to 
  great 
  depths. 
  For 
  the 
  purpose 
  

   of 
  studying 
  this 
  shallow 
  water 
  an 
  oil 
  launch 
  was 
  taken. 
  Upon 
  

   arrival 
  at 
  the 
  island, 
  however, 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  that 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  landing- 
  

   place 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  or 
  east 
  coasts, 
  the 
  only 
  course 
  being 
  to 
  pull 
  the 
  

   launch 
  up 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  coast. 
  The 
  slightest 
  wester, 
  rushing 
  right 
  

   into 
  the 
  bay, 
  prohibited 
  its 
  launching. 
  Consequently 
  it 
  was 
  scarcely 
  

   used. 
  This 
  was 
  the 
  more 
  aggravating 
  as 
  the 
  very 
  few 
  hauls 
  gave 
  

   promise 
  of 
  a 
  peculiarly 
  rich 
  fauna. 
  When 
  out 
  in 
  the 
  launch, 
  by 
  

   means 
  of 
  the 
  sea-telescope 
  the 
  bottom 
  could 
  be 
  examined 
  to 
  a 
  depth 
  

   of 
  over 
  10 
  fathoms. 
  

  

  Close 
  to 
  the 
  rocky 
  shore 
  the 
  boulders 
  continued 
  to 
  about 
  that 
  depth. 
  

   Magnificent 
  algse 
  monopolized 
  these 
  boulders 
  for 
  about 
  3 
  fathoms, 
  

   then 
  succeeded 
  coral 
  of 
  many 
  hues 
  and 
  weird 
  shapes. 
  Attempts 
  to 
  

   drag 
  pieces 
  up 
  resulted 
  in 
  loss 
  of 
  dredges, 
  such 
  few 
  pieces 
  as 
  were 
  

   obtained 
  urging 
  to 
  further 
  efforts. 
  By 
  carefully 
  hunting 
  the 
  beach 
  

   a 
  few 
  specimens 
  were 
  collected, 
  but 
  usually 
  the 
  force 
  of 
  the 
  waves 
  

   left 
  only 
  fragments 
  to 
  denote 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  animal. 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  

   islands 
  off 
  the 
  north-east 
  corner 
  had 
  a 
  nice 
  littoral 
  collecting-ground, 
  

   but 
  this 
  we 
  were 
  prevented 
  from 
  studying 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  westerlies. 
  

   I 
  got 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  good 
  molluscs 
  there, 
  not 
  otherwise 
  obtained. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  wave-swept 
  boulders 
  lived 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  Limpets, 
  four 
  

   Chitons, 
  a 
  couple 
  of 
  Siphonaria, 
  Nerita 
  melanotragus, 
  Smith, 
  lliais 
  

   Smithi, 
  Braz., 
  and 
  Planaxis 
  Brasilianus, 
  Lam. 
  

  

  The 
  sub-littoral 
  fauna 
  was 
  characteristic. 
  By 
  sub-littoral 
  I 
  mean 
  

   forms 
  which 
  lived 
  so 
  near 
  low-water 
  mark 
  they 
  could 
  be 
  procured 
  by 
  

   wading, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  rock-pools. 
  The 
  commoner 
  sub 
  littoral 
  

   forms 
  were 
  mostly 
  novel, 
  the 
  rarer 
  forms 
  being 
  stragglers 
  from 
  deeper 
  

   water, 
  and 
  usually 
  belonging 
  to 
  species 
  of 
  widespread 
  distribution. 
  To 
  

   the 
  former 
  belonged 
  five 
  more 
  Chitons, 
  an 
  Emargimda, 
  a 
  Fissurellidea, 
  

   a 
  big 
  Trochus 
  near 
  pyramis, 
  Born, 
  a 
  Clanculus, 
  a 
  Geyia, 
  a 
  Trma, 
  

   a 
  Pisania, 
  a 
  Cantharus, 
  and 
  a 
  fine 
  Conns. 
  The 
  latter 
  included 
  

   Angaria 
  tyria, 
  Beeve, 
  Thais 
  chaidea, 
  Duclos, 
  T. 
  siiccincta, 
  Lam., 
  

   Argohuccinum 
  australasia, 
  Perrj% 
  Septa 
  ruhicmida, 
  Perry, 
  Epitomum 
  

   perplexiim, 
  Pease, 
  Columhella 
  versicolor, 
  Sowb., 
  Conus 
  minimus, 
  Linn., 
  

   Umhraculmn 
  umhella, 
  Marty 
  n, 
  Area 
  Domingensis, 
  Lam., 
  Codahia 
  hella, 
  

   Conrad, 
  Lascea 
  miliaris, 
  Phil., 
  and 
  Modiolus 
  auriculatus, 
  Kr. 
  Here 
  

   also 
  were 
  found 
  quite 
  commonly 
  Aplysioids 
  of 
  various 
  genera 
  which 
  

   have 
  not 
  yet 
  been 
  studied. 
  A 
  few 
  Pleurobranchs, 
  and 
  very 
  rarely 
  

   an 
  odd 
  Nudibranch, 
  turned 
  up, 
  with 
  a 
  few 
  Umlraculum 
  umhella, 
  Mart. 
  

   None 
  of 
  these 
  shells 
  was 
  abundant, 
  all 
  required 
  much 
  searching 
  for. 
  

  

  