334 ALEXANDER AGASSIZ 



towing and bagged some very nice things. But I have 

 given up all idea of testing the deep-sea nets ; it would 

 take too long, and be too hard work ; for the same 

 reason I have also given up soundings. Both that kind 

 of work all falls on me and none of the party under- 

 stands the management of the nets or of the sounding 

 machine, and I have not got the courage to do all this 

 myself. It 's a very different matter to do it in the Alba- 

 tross, where the officers and crew know just what is to 

 be done ; but I am not up to it alone. We have been 

 packing up our collections as far as we have got, and 

 what with our specimens, utensils of natives, and corals 

 which I bought, we have got quite a lot of boxes ready 

 to go back, quite a contrast to the Australian trip, already 

 about fifteen dozen hermetical vials of tow stuff ! We 

 have already begun to dismantle some of the equipment 

 which we are not likely to use again. 



We had a most successful little trip this a.m. to cele- 

 brate my birthday. We started at 5 a.m. for Mbenga, the 

 first atoll we examined on leaving Suva, but from which 

 we were driven by a squall. We got there at breakfast, 

 the sun out brilliantly, and we took a new set of the 

 photos, which had miscarried the first time. I was quite 

 anxious to have the photos, as the island is one of the 

 prettiest, and most characteristic, of the group, and we 

 had tried twice before to get photos without success. 



You have no idea how prettily Max and Woodworth 

 decorated the cabin with palm leaves and bright leaves 

 and tree greens and masses of flowers. The ceiling was 

 hung with all kinds of flags, so that there was not a 

 particle of the woodwork of the cabin to be seen. Mayer 

 got up some programmes, which were appropriate for 

 each individual. . . . 



