The Log of the Cruise of 1905—1906 49 



Bottom at this spot was at 55 fathoms depth, and rocky. The 

 Gettysburg Bank is unsuitable for trawling ; everywhere under 

 100 fathoms rocks occur, in which a trawl is certain sooner or later to 

 be lost. Outside 100 fathoms the water deepens very fast. 



After leaving the Bank, a fine breeze from south-west soon brought f^ 10, 

 the ship off Cape St. Vincent ; then, veering round to east, a gale Gibraltar, 

 sprang up, lasting that night and all the next day, necessitating three 

 reefs in the mainsail. Making for the old Station 42 in the mouth of 

 the Straits, the anchor was dropped in 170 fathoms on March 10, the 

 day being fine and sea quite smooth ; but the current was altogether 

 too strong for the current meter, the wire standing away aft, as if the 

 ship were going before a fair breeze of wind. At 2 fathoms depth, 

 the time allowed between opening and shutting was six minutes, and 

 the number of turns 825 per minute, giving a result far beyond any- 

 thing in Professor Pettersson's tables. At depths below 2 fathoms 

 the apparatus could not be made to work at all, and it is evident that 

 in a current like that passing through the Straits of Gibraltar no good 

 result can be got out of it as at present devised. It was quite hard 

 work getting the anchor in again, especially as it had taken a very 

 strong hold on the bottom. 



Leaving Gibraltar on March 17 with a fair wind, by evening it was 

 blowing very strong, and three reefs were necessary. On the 19th, ^ r 6 ch 19 ' 

 when off Cape St. Vincent (south-east, twenty miles), the trawl was g t fl "~Pf 

 put down in 300 fathoms, when the wind dropped almost to calm ; con- oent 

 sequently the haul was very poor, containing, however, one perfect 

 specimen of Chauliodus Sloanii, comparatively rare. Next day, 

 March 20, the trawl was put out in 280 fathoms, twenty miles south 

 by east from Cape St. Vincent. The sea was very rough, and, after 

 towing for an hour, it had to be hauled up in consequence of the strong 

 wind and sea. The chief captures were Macrurus cceloryncltus and 

 M. Icevis, and a couple of NepJirops norwegieus. March 21 and 22^jf l21 ' 

 were very stormy, twenty-two miles south-south-east of Lagos Bay, 011 Lagos ' 

 but on the 23rd it was possible to put the trawl out again in 400 

 fathoms, when, after trawling for an hour, the wind freshened so con- 



