A. K Verrill — Marine Fauna off New England Coast. 451 



often a foot in diameter. In deep water other species occur. 

 Rarely, we dredge up, on the outer grounds, fragments of wood,, 

 but these are generally perforated by the borings of bivalves 

 (usually Xylophaga dorsalls) and other creatures, and are evi- 

 dently thus soon destroyed. Very rarely do we meet with the 

 bones of vertebrates at a distance from the coast. Although 

 these waters swarm with vast schools of fishes, while sharks, 

 and a large sea-porpoise or dolphin (J>>iphi,,as, sp.) occur in 

 large numbers, we have, very rarely indeed, dredged up any of 

 their bones, or, in fact, remains of any other vertebrate animals. 

 In a few instances we have dredged a single example of a 

 shark's tooth, and occasionally the hard otoliths of fishes. It 

 is certain that not merely the flesh, but most of the bones, also, 

 of all vertebrates that die in this region are very speedily 

 devoured by the various animals that inhabit the bottom. 

 Echini are very fond of fish-bones, which they rapidly consume. 



at a distance from the coast, or outside of harbors, with the 

 exception of the clinkers and fragments of coal thrown over- 

 board from steamers with the ashes. As our dredgings are in 

 the track of European steamers, such materials are not rare. 

 A few years ago even these would not have occurred. A rock 

 forming on this sea-bottom would, therefore, contain little evi- 

 dence of the existence of man, or even of the existence of the 

 ; fishes an ting the same waters. 















TempTature. 













Bottom. 



Date. 



"bo^ 





Hour 













^ T t. 



















20 



























1148 



S "I !!!!; 



71 S on 



lli 



hard sand." "sponges 



23 











Off Martha 

 » Fish 



Llrr* 





hard sand, sponges 



Oct. 















I K) 



























62 







39 58 00 \ 











48 







\\-'l 



;.;;! l\ ;:; ; 



70 39 00 



. -i: 



sand! mud 



j 



44 



liS 



[!J;J;; PM 



\\:>:> 



■ 



70 30 00 1554 



v'y fine sand, soft m. 



i 



40 



.;:; 



iim; ■■ 





