Introductory 



are usually very small ; the violent jerking of the wire and net pre- 

 vents it turning and fishing properly, and throws a terrific strain upon 

 the whole, which is likely to lead to breaking away. On one occasion 

 in the Faeroe Channel we thus lost 120 fathoms of fine piano wire, 

 Garstang's net, and two thermometers, a sudden strain causing the 

 wire to snap close to the surface. 



All wire made by Messrs. Bullivant and Co. can be guaranteed to 

 be as near perfection as possible, and to stand any strain to which 

 such wire ought reasonably to be submitted. 



From the winch the wire is led over a gun-metal wheel, to which 

 is attached an indicator which marks in fathoms the amount of wire 

 let out. From this wheel the wire is led over a running wheel at the 

 upper end of a stout spar, which is fixed at the bottom by a hook on 

 to the mainmast, and by a length of good manilla rope at the upper 

 end over a pulley again attached to the mast, and so arranged that the 

 spar can be readily swung out at the desired angle over the bulwarks 

 of the port or starboard side. 



In comparatively shallow water — i.e., down to 500 fathoms — a 

 sounding is made with ordinary hand-line and sounding-lead, and a 

 sample of the bottom brought up and preserved ; in deep water the 

 hand-line is never used, the depth to which the water-bottle or heavy 

 closing-net is lowered being read off on the fathom-indicating wheel, a 

 preliminary sounding being generally made with the fine sounding-wire. 



While it is impossible to work closing-nets with satisfaction in 

 rough sea-way, we have never found this an obstacle to the use of the 

 water-bottle, or temperature observations, and these observations were 

 therefore made when at sea with regularity daily, and throughout the 

 cruise from Valentia to the Azores, at distances of about fifty miles 

 apart. 



Description of New Tow-Net for Deep Water. 



During the 1903 and 1904 cruises we have used almost exclusively 

 the net figured below. With it considerably over 400 hauls were then 

 made from 50 to 2,000 fathoms, and it only failed to open or shut 

 at the right time on very few occasions, and then only when used in 



2 



