144 Agassiz — Albatross Expedition to the Eastern Pacific. 



coast, when the depth rapidly shoaled. From Aguja Point we 

 ran a line of soundings to the S.W, to a point about 675 miles 

 west of Callao ; on this line the depths gradually increased 

 from 2200 fathoms, 100 miles off the Point, to nearly 2500 

 fathoms. On running east to Callao the depth soon increased 

 to about 2600 fathoms, and at a distance of about 80 miles off 

 Callao we dropped into the Milne-Edwards Deep and found a 

 depth of over 3200 fathoms. We spent a couple of days in 

 developing this Deep, making soundings of 1490, 2845, 458, 

 1949, 2338, and 3120 fathoms ; showing a great irregularity of 

 the bottom within a comparatively limited area of less than 

 sixty miles in diameter. Thus far all our soundings have been 

 made with the Lucas Sounding Machine. 



In the Panamic Basin to the northeast of the Galapagos we 

 trawled only off Mariato Point, but we occupied ten stations 

 with the tow nets, hauling both at the surface and at 300 

 fathoms, and vertically from that depth ; we also continued 

 this pelagic work at nearly all the stations (35) from the Gala- 

 pagos to Callao. 



When off Chatham Island we began to trawl, and used the 

 tow nets regularly, occupying 20 stations. The nets were in 

 charge of Mr. F. M. Chamberlain. The pelagic collections, as 

 a whole, are remarkably rich. They are especially noteworthy 

 for the great variety and number of pelagic fishes obtained 

 inside the 300-fathom line at a considerable distance from shore 

 — from 300 to 650 miles. Many of these fishes had been con- 

 sidered as true deep-sea fishes, to be obtained only in the trawl 

 when dredging between 1000 and 1500 fathoms or more. On 

 one occasion the tow net brought up from 300 fathoms, the depth 

 being 1752 fathoms, no less than 12 species of fishes ; of some 

 species of Myctophum we obtained 18 specimens; of another, 37 ; 

 of a third, 45 ; in all nearly 150 specimens. On other occasions 

 it was not uncommon to obtain 8 or 10 species, and from 50 to 

 100 specimens. Among the most interesting types obtained 

 in the tow net I may mention as coming from less than 300 

 fathoms Stylophthalmus and Dissoma, both of which Chun con- 

 siders as deep-sea fishes, found in depths of 600 to 4000 meters ; 

 also a species of Enrypharynx obtained for the first time in the 

 Pacific. Stylophthalmus T had caught in the tow net also in 

 1900, during the tropical Pacific Expedition of the Albatross, 

 in depths of less than 300 fathoms. In the lines we ran across 

 the great northerly current which sweeps along the coasts of 

 Peru and Chili and is deflected westward at the easterly corner 

 of the Galapagos Islands, we obtained with the tow nets an 

 unusually rich pelagic fauna at depths less than 300 fathoms. 

 We collected a number of Schizopods, among them many 

 beautifully colored Gnatheuphausise, pelagic Macrurans ; huge, 

 brilliant red Copepods, as well as many other species of blue, 



