146 Agassiz — Albatross Expedition to the Eastern Pacific. 



Hauls of the trawl made at the western extremity of our 

 lines brought us within the area of the manganese nodules, 

 with its radiolarian ooze mud, Cetacean earbones and beaks of 

 Cephalopods ; nothing could stand the damaging work of these 

 nodules in grinding to pieces all the animal life the trawl may 

 have obtained. Down to the depth of 2200 fathoms or so the 

 bottom was constituted of Globigerina ooze, its character being 

 more or less hidden when near the coast by the amount of 

 detrital matter aud terrigenous deposits which have drifted out 

 to sea. 



North of the Galapagos we found vegetable matter at nearly 

 all the stations, and between the Galapagos and Callao such 

 material was not uncommon in the trawl. 



Beyond the line of 2200 fathoms dead Radiolarians became 

 quite abundant on the bottom, as well as in the mud of the 

 manganese nodules, though among the nodules it was not 

 uncommon to find an occasional Biloculina. Many of the dead 

 Radiolarians found on the bottom Mr. Kofoid obtained from the 

 guts of Salpse swimming near the surface or within the 300 fathom 

 line in the tow nets sent to that depth. The same is the case 

 with many of the Dinoflagellata which have been considered as 

 deep-sea types. In our tow nets from 300 fathoms we found 

 very commonly Tuscarora, Tuscarosa, Aulospira and others. 

 In depths of 300 fathoms to the surface, the tow net was rich in 

 Tintinnidse, either dead or moribund Planktionellse, and Dino- 

 flagellata. Among the Dinoflagellata there were 10 species of 

 Ceratium, 9 of Peridinidse, Goniaulix, Phalacrona, Pyrocystis, 

 Cytterocyla, Undella and Dictiocystus. On the surface Plank- 

 tionella sol predominates, with Asteromphale, Bidolphia, and 

 Sunidia thalassothrix. Among the Dinoflagellata w r e obtained 

 12 species of Ceratium, 5 of Peridinium and 22 species of other 

 Peridinidse ; among the Tintinnidse were a number of Sticho- 

 longa ; among the Acantherise were especially to he noticed 

 Acanthometra, Acanthostaurus, Amphilonche, Collozoum, Tha- 

 lassicola, and a number of Chirospira Murrayana and a few 

 Challengeridse. 



Our trawls brought up from the bottom many interesting 

 flshes, among which I may mention Benthoptemis, Ipnops, and 

 a few bat fishes, all, thus far, described by Mr. Garrnan 

 from the 1891 Expedition. I may mention also a Chimgera, 

 different from the Chili species. The fishes have been admir- 

 ably cared for by Dr. J. C. Thompson, U. S. N. 



Among the Crustacea, Lithodes, Munidopsis and many 

 Macrurans, all well known species of the 1891 Expedition, 

 we found a few Mollusks, and a few interesting genera of 

 Tubiculous Annelids. Compared to the 1891 Expedition, few 

 starfishes and brittle stars were obtained, and still fewer Sea 

 Urchins, only one species of Aceste and one of Aerope, a 



